Ms. Pace Gasan, This Isn’t a Statement — It’s an Insult

“Domestic violence is a public matter… Domestic violence is a criminal act.”

That’s it. That’s all Commissioner Samantha Pace Gasan had to say after Robert Aquilina— the Notary of the Archdiocese — was accused of assaulting his wife.

A woman was physically attacked.

A high-risk domestic violence assessment confirmed her life may be in danger.

Yet Magistrate Kevan Azzopardi decided not to issue a Restraining Order, not to order an arrest, and sent the alleged aggressor back home to his victim.

And what did we get from the Commissioner? A cold, recycled line. 

Ms. Pace Gasan, your job is to speak up for victims. Instead, you chose to say the bare minimum and disappear.

No Arrest. No Protection. No Justice.

When a court receives a risk assessment that labels a case as “high risk and extremely worrying”, the protocol is clear: the aggressor must be arrested.

Not in this case. Not when the accused is a well-connected man — a public notary, a Curia official, a familiar face. And not when a magistrate decides to go rogue, ignore procedure, and send him right back to the scene.This is judicial negligence, and your silence, Commissioner, is complicity.

Meanwhile, FIDEM Found the Words You Couldn’t

While the Commissioner of Domestic Violence offered a hollow line, the FIDEM Foundation delivered  a message that actually captured the pain and truth of the moment:

 “What is happening? Another man, Robert Aquilina, in a position of visibility. Another woman allegedly at risk — this time, in her own home. Another reminder that domestic violence knows no status, no title, no image, no political hue.

When the headlines involve names we know, people we might admire or trust, it shakes us. Because it forces us to face the uncomfortable truth:

Abuse doesn’t always look like a monster. Sometimes it looks like the person who speaks at conferences.

The person who campaigns for justice.

The person who says all the right things in public.

The person that plays sports.

The person who looks like Mr. Nice Guy.

We don’t know what the courts will decide.

But we do know that a woman asked for help. She was assessed at high risk.

At FIDEM, our hearts are with anyone living in fear behind closed doors. If you are reading this and you’re afraid — please know you are not alone. There is help. There is support.

€100,000 to Stay Asleep?

What are we paying judges for — if not to protect people in danger?

Wake up Ms. Pace Gasan. You’re sitting on the bench, you will not take €100,000 to stay asleep.

Justice is not just a job. It is a duty to act — especially when a woman’s life may be at stake. This case should shake the system. But instead, we got silence. Shrugs. Status updates.

And from the Commissioner? A quote fit for a coffee mug.

We Will Not Be Silenced

This platform will not stop exposing this rot. We will not lower our voice to make powerful people comfortable.

• A woman said she was abused.

• The police believed her.

• A formal risk assessment confirmed it was serious.

• And the system sent her abuser home.

This is not just failure. It is betrayal.

And yes, we’re angry.