Tangible action on the rule of law in Malta, Casa urges commissioner-designate for justice ahead of hearings

As the European Parliament prepares to grill commissioners-designate next month, MEP David Casa met with the rule of law commissioner-designate and pegged his support on the basis of a commitment to get serious on the rule of law in Malta.

The PN’s head of national delegation hosted Michael McGrath (Fianna Fáil/Renew), the Irish commissioner-designate for Democracy, Justice and the Rule of Law during the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg today.

He encouraged McGrath to demonstrate “a readiness to act in view of the severity of the rule of law crisis” and to commit to concrete action to address the urgent concerns of so many citizens across Malta and the European Union.

“The Commission must step in with concrete action on the rule of law in Malta. The Labour Party in power has enjoyed the benefit of the doubt and wasted enough time with ineffective platitudes.”

Casa referred to the stagnant implementation of the recommendations of the public inquiry into Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination, the institutional failure to prosecute high-level corruption, and the capture of state bodies like the public broadcaster.

Casa and the commissioner-designate discussed the latest scandals, and showed how various rackets demonstrate an unprecedented level of institutional capture to enrich a few off the back of Maltese citizens.

Pointing to the judicial proceedings against Joseph Muscat and his alleged accomplices, Casa claimed that “the end to the impunity they have been afforded so far is the real gauge of whether the rule of law functions in Malta.”

He requested that the commissioner-designate closely monitor these proceedings.

In comments following the meeting, Casa added that “the attacks this year on the judiciary, the media and civil society is a serious relapse that has squandered any goodwill the Maltese authorities have enjoyed.

“The situation must not be allowed to deteriorate further.”