All Daphne Caruana Galizia did when she reported that Minister Chris Cardona was present at a brothel in Germany was keep him accountable, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said this evening.
Dr Busuttil was speaking in Parliament after Justice Minister Owen Bonnici took umbrage at Justice shadow minister Jason Azzopardi’s critique of the government’s decision not to join a new European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) on the weekly Politico.
Dr Azzopardi told the magazine that the Maltese government’s decision was no surprise given it’s vested interest not to fight corruption or money-laundering.
Dr Bonnici said that criticising government action within Parliament, among colleagues, was one thing but to smear the government in the international sphere was another.
The minister recalled that way back in 2013, all parties in parliament had agreed on this stand even before the issue of competence was made worse through the notion that the EU should have competence over taxation. The Speaker had then informed the EU of Malta’s stand.
He called on Dr Farrugia to investigate and make a statement at the opportune time.
Dr Busuttil criticised Dr Bonnici for naming Dr Azzopardi when he was not there to defend himself.
He said he found it ridiculous that the minister said one was allowed to criticise in Parliament but not abroad. “What is wrong here is wrong abroad,” he said.
Dr Busuttil said Dr Bonnici’s statement came on the day when “a grave action” was taken by the PL deputy leader Chris Cardona who filed for precautionary warrants against journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
“In my name and in the name of the opposition, if this government intends to go down this road which threatens democracy, I will fight it, the PN will fight it and all Malta will fight it.”