Four years ago, Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered in broad daylight just outside her home in a car bomb we now know was planted by career criminals, engaged by a man who held a phantom job at the Office of the Prime Minister, commissioned at least in part by one of the most powerful businessmen in the country.

We are here on location at the site of the monument to corruption that Daphne was investigating before she was killed. An investigation that had already implicated Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi in one of the most corrupt deals the county has ever witnessed.

An investigation which, as seems clear today, was still ongoing at the time of her death, and which endangered both government and big business.

The precise motive and the number and identity of people involved in both commissioning the assassination and in preventing justice from being done remains an open question for the courts to find the answer to.

What is not in question is the pattern of underhanded deal-making that has characterised almost every major project of recent years. None of these, up to the present day, have been properly investigated.

Instead of prosecutions, reports are compiled and left hidden in some drawer. Instead of serious investigation, we must suffer through the game of ‘catch me if you can’ currently being played out in Parliament, as Konrad Mizzi does his best to avoid answering for his misdeeds.

Therefore, we are here, today, as a reminder that these corrupt deals are still in effect today. These are deals that promoted the interests of the few at the expense of the many, that saw public resources, land, and money funneled into private pockets, with the willing assistance of public officials.

We repeat what we stated in our submission to the public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding her death: The state can never guarantee prevention against a de facto state of impunity if they are beholden to private corporate interests.

Every day, we continue to live under what the public inquiry calls “a structured system of abuse […] born of the communion between public administration and big business”.

The inquiry mentions the deals with DB for the sale of the ITS site and the development of San Vincenz de Paul, the sale of public land to Sadeen, the sale of passports, the Montenegro windfarm, the privatisation of hospitals to Vitals, and more.

But it is the project behind us that remains the crown jewel in this system of thievery. It is a project that was passed without Cabinet oversight, negotiated during short visits by our elected officials to a foreign dictator, backed up with a government guarantee that transferred all the risk to the public.

That government guarantee is important, because it gives a particularly political nature to Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder. We must remember, despite the best efforts of those in power to make us forget – no matter who set off the bomb, and whoever is found to have commissioned the killing – this was a political assassination of a journalist.

In December of 2019, we were at Castille, demanding that the man under whose watch all this happened, who was primarily responsible for undermining every institution that should have provided oversight against corruption, resign immediately.

We were concerned about the dire situation that engulfed the democratic institutions of our country, because we felt that our country had hit rock bottom in unprecedented ways.

Earlier this year in July, we were again at Castille, marking the conclusion of the public inquiry’s findings, which placed political responsibility at Cabinet’s feet. It described their inaction in the face of mounting evidence as “inexcusable”.

The inquiry board drew particular attention to Cabinet’s inaction after details about 17 Black came out. It highlighted the fact that this information, which linked the LNG tanker behind us to kickbacks received by Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri, was known months before the assassination. However, ministers took no action, leaving the culture of impunity to fester, with deadly consequences.

It is important to remember that, to the very person who was known to be at the very centre of this “incestuous relationship”, and who is now charged with complicity in murder, our Justice Minister said: “You were in my heart during all of this.”

Our call for the resignation of Edward Zammit Lewis still stands. We have no faith in his ability to oversee the important reforms required to see that justice is done.

Only then can the hard work of investigating every rotten deal that Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi were involved in begin.

Because we must make this clear – we have not yet begun this crucial work. Every deal they touched, despite the serious shortcomings found by the only state institutions the government could not bring to heel, like the Ombudsman and the National Audit Office, remains in place.

We therefore feel that there is no better way to recall a journalist’s death than to honour her work.

Daphne Caruana Galizia exposed corruption at the very highest levels of government, in collusion with some of the biggest businesses on the island.

She was killed for this. Because she was a threat to the powerful.

We will never be able to put this incident behind us until the people she exposed are brought to justice, and the corrupt deals she uncovered investigated.

We therefore make our final, unequivocal demand: Investigate the Electrogas deal, now.

Kull ftehim mgħarraq fil-korruzzjoni li għamlu Konrad Mizzi u Keith Schembri jrid jiġi investigat mingħajr aktar dewmien

Moviment Graffiti llum qed jimmarka l-ġurnata meta it-tixrid tad-demm ta’ ġurnalista tebba’ l-art ta’ pajjiżna.

Erba’ snin ilu, Daphne Caruana Galizia ġiet maqtula fil-beraħ ftit barra mid-dar tagħha f’karozza bomba li issa nafu li kienet impoġġija minn kriminali bla qalb, imqabbda minn persuna li kellu impjieg fantażma fl-Uffiċċju tal-Prim Ministru, u li ġie mandat, għall-inqas parzjalment, minn wieħed mill-aktar negozjanti qawwija fil-pajjiż.

Aħna qegħdin hawn fuq il-post quddiem dan il-monument xhieda tal-korruzzjoni li Daphne kienet qed tinvestiga qabel ma nqatlet. Investigazzjoni li kienet diġà implikat lil Keith Schembri u Konrad Mizzi f’wieħed mill-aktar ftehimiet korrotti li qatt ra pajjiżna.

Investigazzjoni li, kif jidher ċar illum, kienet għadha għaddejja proprju sa mewtha. Investigazzjoni li kienet ta’ tħassib kemm għall-gvern kif ukoll għan-negozji l-kbar.

Il-motiv preċiż u n-numru u l-identità tan-nies involuti, kemm fil-mandat tal-qtil kif ukoll fl-attentati varji biex ma ssirs ġustizzja s’issa mhumiex għal kollox magħrufa, u sta għall-qrati biex isibu t-tweġiba għalihom.

Imma m’hemm l-ebda dubju dwar x’tip ta’ ftehim qed jikkaratterizza kważi kull proġett ewlieni ta’ dawn l-aħħar snin. Ħadd minn dawn, sal-lum, għadu ma ġie investigat kif suppost.

Minflok ma jsiru l-prosekuzzjonijiet kif xieraq, ir-rapporti jinġabru u jitħallew moħbija f’xi kexxun. Minflok investigazzjoni serja, irridu noqgħodu nassistu għal logħba pwerili ta’ “catch me if you can” li bħalissa qed tintlagħab b’mod eċċezzjonali fil-Parlament, hekk kif Konrad Mizzi qed jagħmel minn kollox biex jevita li jwieġeb għall-imġiba inaċċettabbli tiegħu.

Għalhekk, aħna qegħdin hawn, illum, bħala tfakkira li dawn il-ftehimiet korrotti għadhom fis-seħħ illum. Dawn huma ftehimiet li ppromwovew l-interessi tal-ftit għad-detriment tal-ħafna, li raw ir-riżorsi pubbliċi, l-art u l-flus jidħlu fil-bwiet privati, bl-għajnuna ta’ ‘uffiċjali pubbliċi’.

Aħna nerġgħu ntennu dak li ddikjarajna fis-sottomissjoni tagħna għall-inkjesta pubblika dwar iċ-ċirkostanzi li jiċċirkondaw il-mewt ta’ Daphne: L-istat ma’ jista’ qatt ‘jiggarantixxi prevenzjoni kontra stat de facto ta’ impunità jekk l-istess stat huwa marbut u determinat li jkompli jħares interessi korporattivi privati.

Kuljum, qed ikollna nkomplu ngħixu taħt dik li l-inkjesta pubblika ssejjaħ “sistema strutturata ta’ abbuż […] li twieldet mir-relazzjoni intima u inċestuża bejn l-amministrazzjoni pubblika u n-negozju l-kbir”.

L-inkjesta ssemmi l-ftehimiet mad-DB għall-bejgħ tas-sit ITS u l-iżvilupp ta’ San Vincenz de Paul, il-bejgħ ta’ art pubblika lil Sadeen, il-bejgħ ta’ passaporti, il-windfarm tal-Montenegro, il-privatizzazzjoni ta’ sptarijiet lil Vitals, u l-lista tkompli għaddejja…

Iżda huwa l-proġett li jidher warajna li jieħu l-premju għall-aktar ftehim moqżież u mgħaddas fit-tixħim f’din is-sistema ta’ serq. Huwa proġett li għadda mingħajr ma kien hemm sorveljanza tal-Kabinett, li ġie nnegozjat waqt mawriet qosra mill-uffiċjali eletti tagħna għand dittatur barrani, appoġġjat b’garanzija min-naħa tal-gvern li għadda r-riskji kollha involuti f’idejn il-poplu.

Dik il-garanzija tal-gvern hija importanti, għaliex tkompli tagħti natura politika lill-qtil ta’ Daphne Caruana Galizia. Irridu niftakru, minkejja l-aħjar sforzi ta’ dawk fil-poter biex iġegħluna ninsew – irrispettivament minn min tefa’ l-bomba, u min jinstab li kkummissjona l-qtil – dan kien qtil politiku ta’ ġurnalista.

F’Diċembru tal-2019, konna Kastilja, u tlabna li l-persuna li kien taħt l-għassa tiegħu li ġara dan kollu, li kien primarjament responsabbli biex idgħajjef kull istituzzjoni li kellha tipprovdi sorveljanza kontra l-korruzzjoni, jirriżenja immedjatament.

Konna mħassba dwar is-sitwazzjoni mwiegħra li ħakmet l-istituzzjonijiet demokratiċi ta’ pajjiżna, għax ħassejna li pajjiżna mess il-qiegħ b’modi bla preċedent.

Aktar kmieni din is-sena f’Lulju, erġajna konna f’Kastilja, fejn rajna s-sejbiet tal-inkjesta pubblika jaslu għall-konklużjoni, liema sejbiet poġġew ir-responsabbiltà politika f’riġlejn il-Kabinett. L-inkjesta ddeskriviet in-nuqqas ta’ azzjoni tagħhom quddiem l-evidenza li kienet dejjem qed tikber bħala “mhux skużabbli”.

Il-bord tal-inkjesta ġibed attenzjoni partikolari għan-nuqqas ta’ azzjoni tal-Kabinett wara li ħarġu dettalji dwar 17 Black. Huwa enfasizza l-fatt li din l-informazzjoni, li rabtet it-tanker LNG warajna ma’ kickbacks li rċevew Konrad Mizzi u Keith Schembri, kienet magħrufa xhur qabel l-assassinju. Madankollu, il-ministri ma ħadu l-ebda azzjoni, u ħallew il-kultura tal-impunità tkompli tiffjorixxi, b’konsegwenzi fatali.

Huwa importanti li niftakru li l-Ministru tal-Ġustizzja tagħna qal lil dak il-bniedem li kien magħruf li kien fiċ-ċentru stess ta’ din ir-“relazzjoni inċestuża”, u li issa huwa akkużata bkomplicità fi qtil: “Int kont f’qalbi matul kollu.”

Is-sejħa tagħna għar-riżenja ta’ Edward Zammit Lewis għadha tiswa sal-lum. M’għandniex fidi fl-abbiltà tiegħu li jissorvelja r-riformi importanti meħtieġa biex naraw li ssir ġustizzja.

Hekk biss jista’ jibda x-xogħol iebes li jiġi investigat kull ftehim immuffat li kienu involuti fih Keith Schembri u Konrad Mizzi.

Għax inħossu li rridu nagħmluha ċara – din il-ħidma kruċjali għadha lanqas biss bdiet. Kull ftehim li kellhom x’jaqsmu miegħu, minkejja n-nuqqasijiet serji misjuba mill-uniċi istituzzjonijiet statali li l-gvern ma setax jikkontrolla, bħall-Ombudsman u l-Uffiċċju Nazzjonali tal-Verifika, għadu hemm sal-ġurnata tal-lum.

Għalhekk inħossu li m’hemm l-ebda mod aħjar biex niftakru fil-mewt ta’ ġurnalista milli nirrispettaw ix-xogħol u l-ħidma tagħha.

Daphne Caruana Galizia kixfet il-korruzzjoni fl-ogħla livelli tal-gvern, f’kollużjoni ma’ wħud mill-akbar negozji fil-gżira.

Hija nqatlet għal dan. Minħabba li kienet theddida għal dawn li huma b’saħħithom.

Ma nistgħu qatt ninsew u nitfgħu dan l-inċident warajna sakemm in-nies li esponiet jitressqu quddiem il-ġustizzja, u l-ftehimiet korrotti li kixfet hi jiġu investigati.

Għalhekk aħna nerġgħu ntennu t-talba finali u inekwivoka tagħna: Investigaw l-ftehim tal-Electrogas, issa.