EU failed to sanction Malta corruption in a timely manner, NGO tells Commission chief

The European Union should acknowledge its failure in allowing a culture of impunity to reign in a Member State, civil society NGO Repubblika has told EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

In a letter penned by its president Robert Aquilina, Repubblika also said the EU must ensure that such a thing is never allowed to happen again.

Von der Leyen is visiting Malta for talks with the government on Thursday afternoon. In her State of the Union speech on Wednesday, she praised Malta for the rule of law reforms carried out over past months.

In his letter, Aquilina pointed out the conclusions of the Daphne public inquiry, which found that the state was responsible for the murder and for creating a culture of impunity led from within the Office of the Prime Minister.

“We are sure that you agree that the development of such a state- of- affairs in a European Union Member State is a failure for the union itself,” Aquilina said.

“The impunity for corruption and wrongdoing in Malta has long been exposed and been brought to the attention of the European institutions; however it is our considered opinion that the European Union failed to sanction it in a timely manner. This failure allowed impunity to grow to such an extent that Daphne was assassinated.”

On the other hand, Repubblika recognises the European Union’s support for a thorough investigation of Daphne’s assassination after her murder.

“Europe would be failing its citizens if it overlooks this state-of-affairs,” Aquilina continued.

Repubblika, he said, believes that the EU should acknowledge its failure in allowing such a situation to develop and take root in a Member State, seek to understand the reasons that led to such failure and how its actions and or inactions led to such failures, and undertake the necessary measures to prevent the development of similar situations.