Identity Malta chief still not taking the phone
Joe Vella Bonnici
Just in case you thought I let this go – I haven’t. I’m still ringing Joe Vella Bonnici, executive chairman of Identity Malta, for answers to those questions I sent him yesterday.
He’s still refusing to pick up.
Should any other members of the press want to help follow up this disgusting matter of cronyism and corruption – putting at least three of his siblings on the state payroll at the organisation he heads, then using his office time to show passport applicants round different properties – then here is his number: 9947 0161. His office number is 21 223252.
I have just rung him at the office.
“This is Daphne Caruana Galizia. May I speak to Joe Vella Bonnici?”
“Mhux qieghed hawnhekk. Qieghed barra fuq meeting.”
“Tista tghidli meta gej lura?”
“Ma nkunx naf.”
“Tista tghaddini mas-segretarja tieghu?”
“Zomm ftit ha nsaqsi.” I’m put on hold.
“Halli ntik l-email address tieghu, ta, u tista tibghatlu email.”
“Diga tghajtni l-email address tieghu l-bierah u bghatlu zewg emails bid-domandi kollha. Ghalhekk cempilt issa, ghax ma rispondix u lanqas biss qieghed jirrispondi ghat-text messages u l-mobile phone.”
“Jien hekk biss nista naghmel, intik l-email tieghu. Ma nkunx naf meta gej lura.”
“La ma nistax inhalli messagg mieghek, jimporta jekk tghaddini mas-segretarja tieghu, jew ma’ min jiehodlu hsieb id-diary u jkun jaf f’liema hin l-executive chairman se jkun l-ufficju u fejn qieghed bhalissa?”
“Dawk l-affarijiet hu jiehu hsiebhom. M’ghandux segretarja.”
“Jigifieri hadd fl-ufficju tal-executive chairman ma jkun jaf fejn qieghed l-executive chairman, l-appuntamenti tieghi, u meta se jkun fl-ufficju tieghu?”
“Tista tibghatlu email.”
“Diga ghamilt hekk. U issa jekk ma jimpurtax se nhalli messagg mieghek. Ghidlu li hu chairman ta’ organizazzjoni tal-gvern, li huwa accountable lejn il-pubbliku, li huwa mhallas mill-pubbliku, u li hu obbligat jirrispondi ghad-domandi tal-press dwar l-imgieba tieghu u d-decizjonijiet li jimpjega nofs il-familja fl-Identity Malta.”
“Tista tibghatlu dak kollha f’email.”
We’ll try again later. If he still doesn’t answer, I’ll just find out what restaurant he’s in sooner rather than later and go there. That’s what you have to do with these people.
And incidentally, I believe all journalists should now make it a policy of describing exactly how difficult it is to get information and how badly they are treated by certain members of the government, chairmen and so on, given the run-around by people who are obliged to answer questions about their behaviour. This is actually part of the story. It’s important for members of the public to know this.