Immunity from prosecution is not the prime minister’s business

The prime minister needs to do two things here.

1. Read the Constitution (and respect it). The granting – or removal – of immunity from prosecution is not within the prime minister’s remit nor a matter for discussion in cabinet. It is within the sole remit of the head of state, who takes advice from the Police Commissioner and the Attorney-General, not the prime minister and his cabinet. When the head of state – George Abela, at the time – granted George Farrugia immunity from prosecution, he did so after listening to what he described as “the very convincing arguments” of the Police Commissioner and the Attorney-General, not the prime minister.

2. Stop threatening the prosecution’s main witness against Manuel Mallia’s clients. It’s bad enough that George Farrugia’s many brothers evaded prosecution for the almost two years that he was minister responsible for the police, which can mean only one thing: that the Police Minister was protecting his clients from the police. How corrupt.