Still awaiting justice after 35 long years

With reference to the comment entitled Living A 17-year Nightmare (September 12) I, together with, I expect, thousands of others, can bear witness to all the dreadful happenings that occurred during those years of Labour administration. These, thank God, are now a shameful part of history although in some cases we are still suffering the consequences.

However, what leads me to writing this follow-up to Berta Sullivan's article is the fact that in her extensive list of atrocities one of the many gross injustices perpetrated by the Mintoff government was not included. I am referring to what I call The Great National Bank Robbery.

It all started with an instigated run on the bank with the subsequent result that the bank was taken over without compensation to its all-Maltese shareholders. Many of these lost their life-savings with some of them even becoming destitute. A new bank rose out of the ashes of the supposedly insolvent financial institution and, wonder of wonders, only a year later a huge dividend was issued to the new shareholders. The major shareholder was, of course, the Government of Malta; a government that was in dire financial straits at the time.

Now, the Nationalist Party in government is bending over backwards to settle the dockyards problem and is offering €58 million of taxpayers' money towards the retirement scheme. I have no problem with that; a solution must be found. But what about the National Bank of Malta's shareholders? Are they not Maltese citizens with rights too? The silence on this matter is deafening. In 1987, the Nationalist Party was elected to government after 17 years in opposition with the slogan Xogħol, Ġustizzja u Libertà (Work, justice and liberty). They delivered on work and, above all, our liberty.

But now, 35 years after the hijack, the bank's shareholders are still awaiting justice. As the saying goes: Justice delayed is justice denied. I wonder what the Court of Human Rights would have to say about this!

As the older generations pass away, the number of heirs is growing and the resentment escalating. Of course, the shareholders haven't threatened to take to the streets and to break down the doors of Castille. Maybe that's why their case is at a standstill.