When Daphne Caruana Galizia posted her story about Chris Cardona – quoting a mysterious “source” – I recalled Lawrence Gonzi’s prophetic words: “Nothing happens by chance” (my translation). In fact, the timing of the story reeks to high heaven: on the eve of the informal meeting in Valletta of the European Council when the eyes of the whole of Europe and beyond were focused on Malta.
The Nationalist Party has been trying to tarnish, if not undermine, Malta’s presidency of the European Council for quite some time, especially in the European Parliament, without any success. Here was another great opportunity, especially after Simon Busuttil had been rebuked in Parliament by European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and his vice-president, Maros Sefcovic.
Who would have imagined the PN would end up seeking foreign prostitutes to join its ‘coalition’ against the government in its campaign of personal attacks on the Prime Minister, his Cabinet members and their close aides? Busuttil and his strategy group of extremists are convinced this is the sole weapon left that can give them a glimmer of hope for their political future.
To make Caruana Galizia’s story more credible, the PN sent a couple of journalists to the Acapulco Club to try and get some prostitutes to help them give credibility to the story. Prostitutes are known to be ready to do almost anything provided they are paid well. So persuading two prostitutes to play ball and say: “I think, eh, maybe, yes that one”, when shown a couple of pictures, should not have been difficult at all.
The big problem for both Caruana Galizia and the PN will arrive when they are asked by the court to substantiate their allegations and when faced with concrete evidence, which Cardona said he will be presenting and which would blow to smithereens the allegations made.
For the PN to pin its hopes on a couple of foreign prostitutes is clear indication of the political desperation gripping the party and its leader. Their sole hope is that this case will drag on for years and will not be decided before the 2018 election.