I have long been researching the shocking Paqpali Għall-Istrina accident, which saw 23 spectators hit by a speeding car during what must be the biggest motorsport event in Malta, wondering how our law-enforcers would manage to sort out what is looking to be a major legal mess.

Because, when it is the office of the president that was responsible for the event, you can hardly blame me (and the rest of the media) when alarm bells start going off in our collective minds.

My main questions were the following: would the case ever get to trial? And how were our law enforcers going to get around that inconvenient detail that it would be, essentially, the office of the president that would need to bear responsibility?

I write this without any disrespect to said office and the work it carries out. The good intentions behind the event are self-evident – but facts are facts. Something went horribly wrong and, unless justice is served, there’s no guarantee that it won’t happen again.

Now, it appears that justice will indeed be served as charges are being drafted for an eventual trial. Read the story here:

Only, not quite. The main person being charged is Paul Bailey, the British driver who was at the wheel of the Porsche that crashed into spectators. Now, let us not forget that this was, in essence, a motorshow organised precisely with the intention of showing off supercars and the speed they are capable of reaching.

Past guests have included Formula 1 champion Louis Hamilton. Last year, the main guest turned out to be the unfortunate Mr Bailey. I might be going out on a limb here, but I would say that neither driver was invited to show off a discreet, 60kph speed in their Porsche or whatever. I would hazard a guess that the organisers would have been very disappointed had either gentleman kept to what is usually viewed as a safe road speed.

Speed, and potential accidents, go with the territory and any professional driver invited to take part in a large-scale motorshow will expect – rightfully so – that the organisers would be taking the appropriate safety measures.

While true that any blame must lie fair and square with the organisers, it would be extreme unfairness if the buck were to stop with the people who give up their time and who work hard to try and improve the life of others

In other words, attempting to shift the blame for this accident on the driver is a bit like accusing Fernando Alonso or Kimi Raikonnen of driving too fast in a Formula 1 race. It goes against all logic. The drivers will drive in a dangerous manner – it is their job. And they will expect the appropriate safety measures to be in place as protection for spectators. And were something to go wrong, they sure as hell wouldn’t find themselves dragged to court for overspeeding.

Which is why I’m forced to come to the conclusion that the upcoming trial will be a farce.

Mr Bailey must be cursing the moment he accepted the invitation to Malta. He must also be wondering what kind of backwater country our island is, that the presidential office would invite a professional driver to show off his skills on a supercar known for reaching incredible speeds without actually ensuring that standard safety procedures are in place.

The charges are not limited to Mr Bailey, but also include 11 members of the voluntary organising committee. This statement only leads me to confirm my suspicions of the farcical nature that this trial is guaranteed to take.

While true that any blame must lie fair and square with the organisers, it would be extreme unfairness if the buck were to stop with the people who give up their time and who work hard to try and improve the life of others, and whose only blame was to be roped into helping out with an event that had shoddy infrastructure.

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