The remarks made by Robert Abela yesterday, regarding the possibility of former Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne being indicted, are an attempt to intimidate the magistrate who needs to take that decision.
Robert Abela said that if Chris Fearne is not placed under an indictment, he will nominate him as EU Commissioner. This is nothing but a message to the magistrate that if Chris Fearne is not nominated, the Prime Minister will blame the magistrate.
No court decision should be conditional on the political needs of the government. The law is the same for everyone, even for candidates for the European Commission. Normally, no prime minister makes public comments expressing the hope that the persons accused by the prosecutor or the police will release her lightly. But this dangerous exception was made for Chris Fearne.
A month ago Robert Abela intimidated the inquiring magistrate in the Vitals case because he needed to do so because of the election. He is now intimidating another magistrate who is hearing the compilation of evidence because Robert Abela needs to do so because otherwise he does not know whom he would nominate European Commissioner.
This is a repeated violation of the independence of the judiciary, government interference and intimidation of magistrates.
We also observe nosedive in the quality standard for the selection of European Commissioners. We have reached the extremes that you can be criminally investigated, accused of serious crimes by the prosecution, be politically responsible for the biggest corruption scandal in a country’s history, be found responsible by a public inquiry for allowing the corrupt to enjoy impunity to the point of killing a journalist, but all this does not prevent you from being nominated for one of the most important positions in Europe’s governance.
A European Commissioner should have a loyalty to righteousness and good governance that is much better proven than simply not falling under an indictment for corruption, illicit enrichment, and misappropriation.
Our country should choose the best person for the positions it needs to fill, not the most politically convenient person for the prime minister.