Housingate vs. Querioz

The Malta Independent

Housingate vs. Querioz

My claim to drops of wisdom is restricted to the Friday morning. Others who dispense wisdom liberally everyday of the week object to my human frailty of departing from the virtue of modesty in this weekly outburst. It is well within their right to do so.

One such person who regularly exposes his objection is former PN Minister Arch. Michael Falzon. He found intriguing logic in my argument of last week that if the Labour`s accusation that Sciberras Grioli purposely fabricated the Lay-Lay story in the sensitive pre-election period and the PN knew about this and have shown scant readiness to check and discipline his reported abuses, then this will bring into question the validity of the present government electoral mandate.

He exposes an ultra simplistic reasoning in asking me whether by the same logic Labour`s accusations regarding cases involving Micahel Frendo, Louis Galea, John Dalli, Joe Fenech and Michael Falzon himself` would mean that the 1996 Labour mandate was also invalid.

There are some major differences between the Housingate of Sciberras Grioli and the cases mentioned by Mr. Falzon. The first major differences is that Housingate was purposely fabricated with clinical timing precision for maximum damage.` It was launched in the heart of an election campaign when mud will stick in people`s mind as proper defence takes much longer to be cleared than the few weeks remaining till the general election.` On the contrary the Opposition raised the other cases mentioned by Mr. Falzon as they occurred totally independent of election timing convenience.

The second major difference was that Housingate was investigated by at least two independent` and timely judicial/audit reviews and Labour came clean on all counts. Furthermore the then Leader of the Opposition was offered the facility to name a respectable person of his trust` to conduct an immediate `investigation.

In the other cases mentioned by Mr Falzon the government in some cases obstinately refuses to conduct an independent investigation ( The Daewoo and Mid-Med Bank cases involving John Dalli), in other cases` the wrongdoing was confirmed by a judicial enquiry even though the guilt could not be attributed to anyone in particular ( the bus ticket case involving Dr Michael Frendo) or regulations were elastically interpreted to accommodate things beyond the fair and proper application of regulations by objective administrators ( Querioz case involving Dr Joe Fenech, Busietta Gardens case involving the former professional office of the then Min. Arch Michael Falzon and the Auxiliary Workers Scheme case with missing files and all involving Louis Galea). None of these cases involve gratuitous fabrication.

Put wisdom aside. Normal common sense is more than enough. Can anyone make any comparison between the scandalous presidential pardon given to Brazilian drug trafficker Querioz and the fabricated scandal of Lay Lay` True in the Querioz case it is not possible to prove outright bribery or other vested interests for taking such totally irrational administrative decision.` But does this make the decision itself any more acceptable`

And the same applies to the other cases including Busietta Gardens. Does the flexible interpretation of the regulations permitting a five storey development of a real estate which magically becomes a two storey development if viewed from the side of the slope make it any more environmentally acceptable`

Housingate is a serious case where solid accusations have been made which in the very least merit an urgent impartial judicial enquiry where full access should be given to the Housing Authority`s internal records before these could mysteriously disappear like the Auxiliary Workers Scheme files. If proven ( and I stress if proven as accusation is not tantamount to guilt) these should have the same consequences that Watergate had for President Nixon. More than a month has passed since the Opposition Leader quoted the Prime Minister saying that at the time he knew that Sciberras Grioli was doing something wrong but he (PM) was obliged to him for other matters. The absence of any clarification that merited nothing less than an outright instant denial is telling indeed.