PM not against the publishing of 17 Black inquiry, believes all inquiries should be public

Prime Minister Robert Abela has said that he is not against the 17 Black magisterial inquiry being published and believes that all such inquiries and their proces-verbal should be made public."I believe that the magisterial inquiry should be publishe

By: independent.com.mt

Jan 05 2025
50
3059 Views

Prime Minister Robert Abela has said that he is not against the 17 Black magisterial inquiry being published and believes that all such inquiries and their proces-verbal should be made public.

"I believe that the magisterial inquiry should be published and not kept secret," he said on Sunday during an appearance on PL media, although he did not mention the specific inquiry by name.

The Prime Minister commented that the Nationalist Party is attempting to spin the situation to imply that members of the Labour Party are implicated in the 17 Black magisterial inquiry, which the PN said on Saturday should be published by the Attorney General. It was recently revealed that the inquiry had been concluded and that former Minister Konrad Mizzi and former OPM Chief of Staff Keith Schembri, among others, will be facing charges. Having said that, Abela remarked that the conclusions of the inquiry should be published on the request of the Attorney General, and not through the PN's demands.

Abela said that the Opposition has been consistent in its negativity, as he remarked that the Opposition attacked government ministers and their families during the Christmas holidays. He said that the PN has been taken over by an extremist faction, with PN MP Karol Aquilina at the helm. Abela said that Ministers Clint Camilleri and Silvio Schembri, along with their wives, have been targeted with magisterial inquiries, and he commented that this is likely because the PN is upset with the ministers' professional work. The Prime Minister commented that the function of magisterial inquiries should not be to abuse them in order to damage those who one politically disagrees with, but he remarked that the PN has shown that it thinks that is how politics in the country should function.

He continued that one does not lead a country forward by shouting about inquiries, and said that it seems that the PN is locked into that sentiment, as he commented that the PN wants everyone in prison, but that the PL believes in different politics. He said that the PL believes that institutions such as the Attorney General should be able to conduct their work, and that the way the PN speaks about the Attorney General is "disgusting".

The Prime Minister stated that there is clear distinction between the PL and the PN, and added that he believes in national unity along with believing that the PL is the best political force in the country.

Speaking about his thoughts on the year ahead, Abela said that he views 2025 "very positively".

He said that on a national level, the country has fought "the great phenomenon of inflation", and continued that there were increases in the global prices of oil as well as challenges related to "the two ongoing wars" and other logistical challenges.

With that in mind, he commented that each measure taken had to be in the context of those challenges. He stated that as a country, stability was given to energy prices and additional mechanisms aside from the Cost of Living Adjustment were introduced in order to combat inflation, with which he said the PL's targets were reached.

Despite this, the Prime Minister said that the challenge still remains coming into the new year, but continued that the measures of Budget 2025 being introduced will have a positive impact on families through initiatives such as the introduction of "the biggest tax cut". Abela commented that as a result of the PL's budget measures, workers will see an increase in their wage as €66 million will be left in the pockets of the people.

Other countries in Europe are going in the opposite direction of Malta, the Prime Minister said. "They are increasing taxes rather than introducing tax cats, and governments are paralysed and unable to work," he stated. "Prime Ministers are resigning, elections are happening again and again... These are all consequences of countries lacking a strong economy."

The Prime Minister said that countries are facing repercussions due to their economies not doing well, but continued that Malta has a vibrant economy which generates wealth sustainably, "and we are capable of spreading this among everyone". He added that forecasts indicate that Malta will have one of the best performing economies in Europe during 2025.

The most essential thing that came out of the budget, Abela said, is stability, "particularly the stability of energy prices". He said that as a country, Malta is reinforcing the stability of energy prices, and continued that through the strength of subsidies, the government is allowing families and businesses to plan their future with peace of mind. "Our political intention is to maintain that stability," he said, as he continued that 2025 will be a positive year in part because of the introduction of the labour migration policy. He said that discipline needs to continue being strengthened in work markets which include foreign workers, and added that the bringing in of foreign workers should only be in sectors that truly need them, "such as the care for the elderly sector".