Malta needs strong anti-mafia legislation

Speaking in Parliament last Monday, Prime Minister Robert Abela said that, as long as he remains Prime Minister, he would never introduce an “Anti-Mafia” law because this would imply that the Mafia operates in Malta.

This is flawed reasoning. Refusing to introduce anti-mafia legislation on the basis of such an assumption is irrational and ignores the real interests of Malta.

Introducing legislation to tackle a specific form of organised crime does not mean that a country is declaring itself a mafia state. By the same logic, Malta would have to be considered a terrorist state simply because its Criminal Code contains anti-terrorism provisions.

Arnold Cassola, leader of Momentum, said, “Legislation against terrorism does not mean that Malta is a terrorist state. It means that the State recognises the serious threat posed by terrorism and puts the necessary legal tools in place to confront it. The same principle should apply to organised crime and mafia-type structures. The introduction of specific anti-mafia legislation would demonstrate that the Maltese State is serious about preventing and prosecuting criminal networks, corruption, money laundering, intimidation, and the dangerous relationships that can develop between organised crime, business and political power.”

Malta cannot afford to pretend that these risks do not exist simply because acknowledging them is politically uncomfortable.

Cassola added, “Prime Minister Robert Abela should also reflect carefully on the words of Labour Party president Alex Sciberras, who said on Sunday that we cannot pretend that we heard nothing during the Yorgen Fenech trial. The revelations surrounding that case raised serious questions about the relationship between politics, big business and organised crime in Malta. Pretending otherwise does not protect Malta’s reputation. It actually damages it.”

For Momentum, the answer is not to deny the problem but to strengthen the institutions and laws needed to confront it. Malta needs a modern legal framework capable of tackling mafia-type criminal organisations and the corruption and political influence that can accompany them.

A government that is confident in the rule of law should not be afraid of an Anti-Mafia law.

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