Not only an odious damned lie, but an odious damned lie about itself
The Egrant inquiry conclusions were made fully public last Sunday.
The publication marked an end to the life of the fabricated lie. An end to the life of a whole invention based on fake news, forgery and fabrications. The uncovering of an ugly frame-up. Total deceit. A story which does not only tell a lie - a dark, odious, damned lie - but tells a lie about itself. An ugly plot aimed at harming an innocent family which was used, abused and re– used over and over again by the then Leader of the Opposition.
A lie that had one goal: to damage the reputation of the democratically elected Labour Government, and more so, addressed directly to damage Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and his wonderful family.
And the country - our stability and our democracy. Let the gravity of this sink in. A group of people sitting together, not to draft proposals to the better of our country, but to shrewdly plot a frame–up for power, with forged signatures, fake situations.
When the grave allegations were made, on the morrow, the country woke up stunned. Questions were asked. The allegations were fanned by the Opposition’s lap dogs and made international headlines. The reputation of Prime Minister Muscat, his wife, family and the Labour Government was at stake. The whole country was at stake. The country was put in this unhealthy situation by nonother than the leader of the Opposition Simon Busuttil, giving rise to a situation of economic uncertainty.
The country could not live in the shadow of allegations of such gravity about the Prime Minister. And the Prime Minister took up the challenge, demanding to be fully investigated by an independent judicial inquiry with full access to resources both in Malta and abroad.
Dr Muscat took a bold and courageous move, advising the President to dissolve Parliament with an election called a year ahead of the due date. The result of that election is now political history, with Joseph Muscat elected again and the Labour Government gaining an unprecedented majority of votes.
The Egrant Inquiry is a huge document: the result of the input of 477 witnesses, international experts and investigations overseas. No stone was left unturned to find the underlying cause of the allegations made and for the truth to prevail.
The conclusion is clear: Egrant does not belong to the spouse of the Prime Minister or anyone close to the family.
The conclusions are there for everyone to see, but what Dr Muscat and his family, the country and its institutions have gone through because of the professional falsification of documents and the malicious spreading of falsehoods cannot be taken back.
There has been considerable collateral damage as a result of these falsehoods, both in Malta and also abroad. More than that, foreign politicians made the false allegations genuine and used them as a battle cry to support the Opposition Leader. Some local and foreign media joined in. Others, who should have known better, called Malta a Mafia state. Others echoed this, endorsing a lie, without checking the facts, a cardinal rule not only in journalism but also in honest politicians’ quarters.
Now that all know the conclusions of the inquiry, the tables are turned. Answers, declarations and yes, apologies are expected. Responsibilities should be shouldered.
Some are not and trying to save face by absurd statements. Take MEP Ana Gomez. Instead of accepting the Court’s meticulous inquiry, she cast doubts about our institutions, throwing doubts on the whole system. She should know better. My response to this pathetic statement is clear: Ana Gomez should condemn those who conspired and plotted to commit the worst political frame-up in Maltese history instead of insisting on casting unfair and unjust doubts on the institutions of my country.
There are expectations. One expects those who were on the forefront of this blatant and fabricated lie, to shoulder their responsibilities and face the consequences. For some an apology is not enough. Some need to bow their head and give a fat farewell to their political non-career.