Government to pay compensation to Karin Grech’s family shortly

Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici told Parliament yesterday that the government intended to respect the court’s judgment awarding damages of about €400,000 to Karin Grech’s family, who should get the payment in the coming days.

“The Karin Grech case is one of the most delicate and I ask that it should not be exploited,” he said, later appealing to anyone having information which could lead to the apprehension of whoever killed Ms Grech to contact the police.

The minister was answering supplementary questions by Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat and other opposition MPs after Anthony Agius Decelis (PL) originally asked whether there were any developments in the police investigations into the case last year.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici said the government was contesting a number of other points in its appeal. Since the case was sub judice, he did not feel he should say more than what had already been said in the government’s note of appeal filed by the Attorney General. This featured reasons which were clear, evident and public and known to all.

Dr Muscat asked whether this meant that the government did not believe Karin Grech’s murder was medico-politically motivated. The minister said it was Dr Muscat who was arriving at that conclusion. He was trying to be as careful as possible.

Was it the government which had instructed the Attorney General to appeal, in part, the judgment by Mr Justice Pace? Dr Mifsud Bonnici answered that the AG had his own autonomy to file the appeal. The Cabinet’s decision was – and this had been made public through a statement – that it intended to respect the part of the judgment with respect to compensation but appeal other conclusions arrived at by the court.

Dr Muscat asked who was shouldering the political responsibility of the points raised in the appeal filed by the government, primarily its contestation that the case was a medico-political one. Had the decision been taken by the Minister, the Prime Minister or the Cab-inet?

Dr Mifsud Bonnici again pointed out that the case was sub judice and it was wrong for one to go into much detail and risk going against standing orders. What was evident was the fact that the government was not agreeing that it had discriminated against the Grechs.

The Karin Grech case was one of the most delicate cases on record, and one that warranted maximum attention.

The minister said that when answering an earlier parliamentary question, he had laid on the Table of the House a transcript of the evidence given by Police Commissioner John Rizzo, who had listed all the investigations that had taken place. Mr Rizzo had declared that there were various legal, medical and political avenues which were still being investigated. He had not singled out any particular one.

Therefore, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said, Dr Muscat’s simplification on whether the murder was medico-political or not was beyond the reason for the appeal.

In the first instance, the court had concluded that there was political discrimination against the Grechs. The government did not agree there was any kind of discrimination and hence the appeal.

Dr Muscat said he was not asking the minister to give any form of judgment. What he was asking emanated from the fact that the minister had said it was the Cabinet which had taken the decision to appeal. A crucial part of the judgment was Mr Justice Pace’s finding that the case was motivated by a medico-political issue. Who had taken the decision that the government file an appeal?

Dr Mifsud Bonnici advised Dr Muscat to keep his distance.

Anġlu Farrugia (PL) asked whether Mr Rizzo’s evidence had been discussed in Cabinet. The minister replied in the negative.

“I take it that the decision to appeal was taken by the Cabinet,” said Dr Farrugia.

The minister nodded agreement and when it was pointed out that he was not being recorded, he was heard saying, “Yes, yes.”

There was further debate regarding Mr Rizzo’s evidence.