At the eleventh hour, just days before election day, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil has again called on the Prime Minister to leave politics. He had just been informed by Magistrate Aaron Bugeja that a new investigation had been ordered into allegations involving money laundering and the Prime Minister’s right-hand man, Keith Schembri.
That same day, Joseph Muscat accused Dr Busuttil of trying to delay the Egrant inquiry by supplying the magistrate with documents unrelated to the allegations that the Panama company belonged to his wife, Michelle. For Dr Busuttil, the documents contained “irrefutable evidence” against Mr Schembri. For the Prime Minister, they have nothing to do with him. But they have all to do with him.
The allegations on Mr Schembri, his chief of staff, affect the Prime Minister directly, not least because he has stood by his man ever since the Panama Papers scandal emerged. His political future is tied to Mr Schembri because he is his person of trust.
Quoting the magistrate, Dr Busuttil said the Egrant inquiry will be taking much longer than expected because the magistrate wanted to expand his probe even to an international scale. That would mean it is improbable the investigation would be concluded by June 3 and that Dr Muscat would be going to the electorate while under a criminal investigation.
When he called the election a year early, Dr Muscat had said the inquiry had had no bearing on his decision. He seems to be anxious to see the inquiry concluded, vehemently denying the allegations and promising to resign if he is in any way found to be associated with Egrant. But ever since the allegations were made, a whistle-blower has stepped forward, raising the stakes.
Dr Muscat says he has nothing to fear because he has been telling the truth. Yet, he went for an election a year early, with no reason why, other than the economy was taking the brunt of the political insecurity created by the allegations involving him and those around him. It was the worst decision he could make.
And now, the Prime Minister is saying the Maltese Security Services were informed by security services in allied countries that the Egrant story was invented in retaliation for Malta’s refusal to refuel Russian ships on the way to Syria late last year.
In the middle of an election campaign, it always becomes increasingly hard to work out the truth. This is not the serenity the electorate deserves to come to an informed decision. This was never the time to hold an election.
When Dr Muscat came under a magisterial inquiry, his one option had been to resign until the magistrate concluded his findings. Instead, he went for an election, raising the stakes to the point that they now include possible international espionage.
Seeing all this against the background of a very serious assault by international media on Malta’s financial services, the situation in the country has truly become untenable. What this country needed was a stable government to see it through the storm of endless corruption allegations by holding proper magisterial inquiries after other institutions had failed.
The Prime Minister chose instead to abdicate, thinking the popular vote would make it all go away. It will not.