A Conviction, a Tragedy and the Silence of Malta’s Media

Why is the mainstream media completely silent about a man who died by suicide after being convicted of sexual abuse by our courts—a conviction I believe was unjust or disproportionate? This man maintained his innocence until the end.

Our politicians, supported by our mainstream media, have pushed the Istanbul Convention and embraced GREVIO’s recommendations. My criticism concerns how Malta is implementing this agenda. Are we drifting back towards the dark ages, towards a mentality in which the accused must prove his innocence rather than the prosecution proving its case beyond reasonable doubt?

At the very least, this man’s story should give pause to those in Malta who attack the jury system and claim that judges can do a better job. My concern is that the courts treated the woman’s allegations as conclusive and approached the man’s defence as though he had to establish his innocence. That concern deserves examination through a scrutiny of the judgments and the evidence.

The presumption of innocence must mean something in practice. In my view, the positions promoted by Repubblika and its allies risk eroding this principle, and I question whether our judiciary is doing enough to defend it. Every allegation deserves serious investigation, and every accused person deserves a fair assessment of the evidence.

This man’s death demands attention. His insistence on his innocence, the disproportionate punitive sentence, the courts’ reasoning and the circumstances surrounding his death deserve examination. The apparent lack of coverage also requires an explanation. His death should not close the door to scrutiny of his case.

In this vlog in Maltese, I discuss this story and challenge a media culture that, in my view, is too willing to defend judicial institutions and too reluctant to question them. I also question whether political enthusiasm for European policy agendas has displaced a necessary debate about the rights of the accused.

What I would like to correct in this vlog is the fact that the appeal had not yet been decided when this man committed suicide. However, the fact is that this man had no faith in our justice system or in the proportionality between the presumed act committed and the punishment. 

Courts exist to uphold justice. Judicial decisions must rest on evidence and the law, free from political pressure or career-advancement considerations. The media’s duty is to hold those exercising power to account, including judges.

As we say in Maltese, Alla ma jħallasx bin-nhar ta’ Sibt. Anyone whose actions contributed to an injustice in this case will one day have to account for those actions before God.