David Casa. Photo: Matthew MirabelliDavid Casa. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

I find myself nonplussed. For the last few months since MEP David Casa rose without trace to become the European Parliament’s self-appointed expert on the rule of law in Malta, I have been unable to decide whether he is a charlatan or a comic.

That he is a person who claims special knowledge is clear. But now I know he is much more than being a comic or a charlatan. After reading his Talking Point, ‘Proof in the living room’ (May 26), I am convinced he is an arch-conspiracy theorist.

A conspiracy theory involves any situation that gives rise to a conviction that an illegal act has been carried out covertly between interested parties, usually those in government. Conspiracy theories in Malta involve a concerted attack on the truth dressed up as concern for the truth.

In his article, Casa strung together five so-called facts.

One, Keith Schembri received €100,000 from Tonna of Nexia BT, who had received funds from the sale of passports.

Two, Nexia BT instructed Pilatus Bank to open accounts for Schembri and Konrad Mizzi, informing it to expect €1 million a year for these accounts.

Three, Mizzi claimed cash balances of over €300,000 when he had less than €100,000.

Four, Orion Engineering Group deposited $200,000 into Dubai company 17 Black.

Five, Mizzi and Schembri were to receive €150,000 each month into their secret Panama funds from 17 Black.

Abandoning logic, Casa then went on to join the dots between these five ‘facts’. He concluded: “We no longer need further evidence to realise what Mizzi and Schembri have truly been up to,” though he carefully does not define this.

Like all conspiracy theories, the problem with Casa’s extraordinary conclusion is twofold.

First, although the ‘facts’ listed are probably correct when taken on their own, taken together they do not make a coherent case of wrongdoing, which would stand up in a court of law. They simply do not lead to the (implied) conclusion he reaches.

Conspiracy theories in Malta involve a concerted attack on the truth dressed up as concern for the truth

Secondly, Casa does not know his facts from his factoids. He has convinced himself that if an assumption or speculation is repeated often enough it becomes accepted as a fact. But the fact is that until there is evidence that backs up his speculations in a court of law his accusations are simply simulated alternative facts.

It is almost impossible to fight this corrosive way of thinking. Those who subscribe to it tenaciously resist any challenge, having a ready answer to even the most compelling contradictory evidence.

While there may be a case based on circumstantial evidence and conjecture, this does not presently amount to substantive evidence which would lead to a verdict in a court of law. It amazes me that Casa – who has personally instigated some of the magisterial inquiries – is allowed to undermine the rule of law by speculating on a person’s guilt while the evidence before the magistrates is still being sifted and weighed.

Is he in contempt? This seems a clear case of an effort to influence the independence and impartiality of the magistrate and to undermine Schembri’s and Mizzi’s rights to a fair trial, a cardinal requirement of the rule of law and a principle of all civilised jurisdictions throughout the world.

Unlike Casa, I prefer to suspend judgement until I have all the facts and the evidence before me.

Casa has form. Trying to justify the Euro parliamentary delegation’s ‘mission report’ on the rule of law in Malta, he declared: “It is a political conclusion, not a judicial one… The evidence is substantive, overwhelming and conclusive. Politically conclusive.”

Casa is a politician who bases his case for condemning a country about its observance of the rule of law solely on what he terms “politically conclusive” evidence. He is unique in Europe as a parliamentarian in being ignorant of the pivotal role of the rule of law in liberal democracies. According to Casa, provided the evidence is “politically conclusive” the fundamentals of adherence to the rule of law can be ignored.

Tangible proof of wrongdoing, not politics, is one of the basic precepts of the rule of law. Unsubstantiated allegations dressed up as evidence of the collapse of the rule of law and his confusion of ‘facts’ in his Talking Point are a travesty motivated by self-serving political, not objective criteria.

Knowledge is knowing you’re ignorant. These five little words could save Casa so much trouble. Truth and honesty about what you know can sometimes be the best policy. Call it the Donald Rumsfeld doctrine. I am setting this out as simply as possible for Casa’s benefit.

“There are known knowns. The things we know we know,” the former US defence secretary once said. “And we also know there are known unknowns. That is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don’t know we don’t know. They tend to be the difficult ones.”

There is wisdom in knowing your ignorance. Casa might bear the words attributed to Socrates in mind: “I know one thing and that is that I know nothing.” Some of us learnt this a long time ago at school. Unlike Socrates, this axiom seems to have passed Casa by.

As a politician, Casa should understand that you can survive the known unknowns, even if you should know what you don’t know. And after 14 years as an MEP, Casa should really be capable of knowing what it is he doesn’t know. Which, judging by his recent quaintly titled article, ‘Proof in the living room’, is substantial.

It is the unknown unknowns that constitute Casa’s problem and are his undoing. When a politician who begins from a low threshold of knowledge bluffs and blusters, or says what the answer should be without the certainty it is right – as he has done in his latest article – that is when he ends up making a fool of himself.

Like a comic and a charlatan, Casa is in trouble because he is suggesting he might know what he clearly does not. He should, at least, have the mental acuity to know he knows nothing, rather than sticking his neck through a noose.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.