A prolonged soap opera - Caruana Galizia court proceedings taking too long, Sant says

Labour MEP Alfred Sant has questioned the time it is taking the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder court proceedings to conclude, saying the issue is turning into “a prolonged soap opera.”

Sant was addressing a press conference, alongside fellow PL MEP Josianne Cutajar, on the EU’s COVID-19 recovery plan.

This newsroom asked how the MEPs are going to safeguard Malta’s reputation at an EU level considering recent developments within the Maltese courts.

“Personally, I think this is a prolonged soap-opera. I cannot understand how our judicial processes are being extended for so long. Inquiries and investigations would have taken place in a shorter period of time and at this stage I do not think I have to comment any further than that,” Sant said.

Similarly, Cutajar said that investigations must take place regardless of who is the target as she is in favour of justice being delivered in a timely manner. She believes that this will certify Malta as a place where justice is served and that the government is working on reforms on the rule of law where needed.

Looking beyond the pandemic

Cutajar said that, while a recovery plan to help all businesses is needed, it is important for us to look beyond this pandemic and focus on regeneration through what we have learnt from this pandemic.

During the conference, it was pointed out that the recovery plan and the long term budget are being called the Next Generation EU, and Cutajar was asked for her perspective on this.

“The name Next Generation EU is important because while we need a recovery plan to help all businesses, it is important for us to look beyond this pandemic and focus on regeneration, considering the changes that we are going through. This includes the environment and technology which affect our standard of living,” she said.

She explained that this pandemic has shown everyone the importance of technology. Thus, we must address the aspect of digital poverty wherein people do not have infrastructure or knowledge to make use of any necessary services.

She said that the socialist and democratic group which she forms part of has put forward a policy paper on the discussion that will be taking place with regard to the recovery plan.

Some of the points they mentioned include an extension of state aid flexibility after the pandemic, the need for customised assistance within the tourism sector and the inclusion of a crisis control mechanism for travelling and tourism. They are also calling for a European Travel Guarantee Fund dedicated to airlines that are reaching bankruptcy and their customers.

From his end, Sant said that the EU Parliament will be highlighting its opinion about topics concerning the economy and economic politics on a European level.

In the past months, the EU was at a standstill but the European Central Bank was working at full capacity to deal with the impact of the pandemic.

“Now we are in a situation where the EU is discussing the Commission’s proposal for the grants to be kept at a low amount (€500 billion) but then introduce another €250 billion in loans, totalling to €750 billion in all,” he said.

There is no agreement on it yet, but Sant believes that they will have an answer in the next month or so. He explained that one of the main points that the parliament will be discussing regarding this recovery plan is a financial project wherein certain conditions that are being placed on European banks are postponed or fast forwarded so that these banks can better deal with the demand for loans from companies.

Paying back benefits

The Malta Independent asked the MEPs how they think Malta will be paying back any funds that will be provided by the recovery plan.

Sant said: “We are faced with an enormous crisis and I think that everyone must show an element of solidarity. This means that we do not have to talk about how we will be carrying the weight later on but focusing on working together so that the EU’s economy does not falter. We will do the calculations later.”

Cutajar acknowledged the fact that the Maltese government was proactive and did not wait for the EU to help out when businesses and families needed some sort of assistance. However, she also pointed out that Malta has some reservations with regard to taxation and these are being discussed with the EU Council.