A criminal act vs a political strategy
Those who are pushing for Simon Busuttil to keep his place within the Nationalist Party, and thus keep his seat in Parliament, are arguing that the former Opposition Leader should not be punished for an unsuccessful political strategy.
They say that failing to win the last general election, and throwing in the towel as Party Leader was a high enough price for Busuttil.
The truth is that for Jason Azzopardi, Mario de Marco, Karol Aquilina and others, Simon Busuttil represents the infamous establishment within the party, and they are refusing to let him go. They always believed that Adrian Delia’s tenure at the helm of the party must be short, and they will stop at nothing to reach their goal. For them, Simon Busuttil’s resignation would be a setback.
However, this is not a question of political strategy or political judgement. The Egrant inquiry showed that this is a criminal act, a frame up for power.
The inquiry is a 1,500 page document, containing the input of 477 witnesses. International experts were engaged and investigations were carried out overseas, making the conclusions crystal clear. Egrant does not belong to the wife of Prime Minister Muscat, or anyone close to their family. However, in order to make the people believe this lie, the Nationalist Party had embarked on a vigorous campaign based on what resulted to be falsified documents.
Having analysed the matter thoroughly, the inquiry confirms that this was nothing more than a frame up for power.
The inquiry showed the protagonists of this saga tripping on their own lies. Daphne Caruana Galizia claimed Maria Efimova showed her the declarations of trust pertaining to Egrant. Pierre Portelli also said that Efimova had agreed to pass on a copy of said document, and in April 2017, Caruana Galizia testified she had a copy. Eventually Caruana Galizia testified she did not have a copy and Maria Efimova also said she did not have a copy. The Magistrate claims in different parts of the inquiry that Efimova and Caruana Galizia provided contradictory accounts and that each piece of evidence indicates these documents did not exist.
This was very clear from the first day the story emerged. For those interested in the truth, contradictions were evident from the first moments. However, Simon Busuttil wasn’t interested in the truth. He wanted power at all costs, and was ready to be part of this biggest lie in Malta’s political history. It is a known secret that Simon Busuttil and Daphne Caruana Galizia where in contact and no one would believe that he was not part of this plan.
When, on 20 April 2017, he instructed his media to air a special programme with the caption “Egrant hi ta’ Michelle Muscat”, he wasn’t asking questions as Opposition Leader, as he now wants us to believe. He was making a statement. The way things were organized proved that it was all planned. Eventually, he claimed, on numerous occasions, that he did not believe Joseph Muscat that Egrant wasn’t owned by him or his wife. He was convinced. He also stated that he couldn’t imagine a scenario where the Magistrate would conclude otherwise than this. Yet, the Magistrate’s judgment was far from Busuttil’s petty claims. He showed that the Egrant saga was a conjecture, endowed with criminal acts.
We, who argued that Simon Busuttil is a dangerous politician, were vindicated. Busuttil’s place is no longer in Parliament. Adrian Delia’s move to ask him to suspend himself was a step in the right direction, but not enough. Simon Busuttil must shoulder political responsibility and resign from any role he presently has.
Until now, he is still part of the PN and the House of Representatives. This is unacceptable.
The truth is that for Jason Azzopardi, Mario de Marco, Karol Aquilina and others, Simon Busuttil represents the infamous establishment within the party, and they are refusing to let him go. The inquiry is a 1,500 page document, containing the input of 477 witnesses. International experts were engaged and investigations were carried out overseas, making the conclusions crystal clear.