Joseph Muscat had clearly threatened the independence of the judiciary when he said the inquiring magistrate would have to shoulder responsibility should he be cleared of the Egrant inquiry after losing the election, Simon Busuttil said today. 

During the programme Xtra last night, the Prime Minister was asked what he would do if he lost the election and resigned and he was then cleared by the magisterial inquiry. He replied that such a scenario would be the responsibility of the magistrate.

Replying to questions following a news conference in Msida this morning, Dr Busuttil said that the judiciary was probably the only independent institution remaining.

But the Prime Minister wanted to destroy this independence and this could be seen from his appointments to the bench.

How can I appear before someone who spent a long time calling me names and expect him to be independent

“How can I appear before someone who spent a long time calling me names and expect him to be independent,” he asked, referring to the appointment of the former Labour Party deputy leader Toni Abela to the bench.

Dr Busuttil said he condemned without reservation the pressure Dr Muscat was placing on Magistrate Aaron Bugeja with his comments. Such pressure constituted an attack, he said.

He added that Dr Muscat was so used to institutions doing whatever he wanted that he had expected Magistrate Bugeja to do the same.

He also referred to comments by the Prime Minister that there would be a constitutional crisis if the PN were elected and he was cleared, saying such a crisis would come about if Dr Muscat were elected and the magistrate continued with the case and found him guilty.

“With the Nationalist Party in government, there will be normality and serenity,” Dr Busuttil said.

He recalled that before the election, Dr Muscat had fired his then deputy leader Anġlu Farrugia for a much less serious comment about a magistrate.

“My condemnation is without reservation and although Dr Muscat will not shoulder responsibility, I hope that the decision the Prime Minister shirked would be taken by the people on June 3.”

On Dr Muscat's comments that the Panama “mistake” would not be repeated, Dr Busuttil said the whole saga was not a mistake but a plan. The Panama companies, he said, were being opened in March 2013.

The Prime Minister, he said, should shoulder responsibility and not continue to bluff until the last minute.

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