The current conversation goes like this:

“Adrian Delia will, first, clean up the Nationalist Party and, then, clean up the government.”

“Sounds good. A pity his own election may not have been exactly clean.”

“What do you mean?”

“Apparently, some of the votes could have been forged.”

“You are talking about only four votes, not 400.”

“Oh, so 400 forged ballot papers might interest you but four – that we know about – don’t matter?”

“What, do you think the other side didn’t do the same?”

“I don’t know. Did it?”

“Of course. It always happens. Do you think Donald Trump’s election was clean? Of course not. It’s politics. It happens all over.”

“You are not bothered that Delia could have been elected with forged votes?”

“No because they weren’t all forged. You see, people wanted an outsider who was seen to be clean.”

“I think I understand. So they forged votes to elect a clean candidate. But hasn’t he been accused of money laundering?”

“That was for a client, not for himself. He didn’t know property was being used for prostitution.”

“So, if the allegations were true it would be okay to get fees for laundering money if you were laundering it for somebody else?”

“Of course, otherwise virtually all the lawyers in Malta would be guilty.”

“Let me get this straight. A guy elected on a suspicious vote and who was allegedly involved in money laundering for a client will clean up the party.”

“That’s right.”

“And then he will tackle corruption in government that basically revolves around allegations of... money laundering.”

“That’s right.”

“And you think he’s the right man for the job?”

“Do you know anybody in Malta who is totally clean?”

Nobody in Maltese politics; perhaps not many in the legal system. But it’s okay because corruption and rigged elections happen elsewhere.