For years, Robert Aquilina has paraded himself as Malta’s self-proclaimed “defender of the rule of law.” He’s stood on courthouse steps, delivered dramatic speeches, and published “exposés” — all while demanding transparency, accountability, and justice from everyone else. But now that the spotlight has turned on him, the question is no longer what Robert Aquilina says – but what Robert Aquilina does when he is held to the very standards he imposes on others.
This week, Aquilina finds himself on the wrong side of the interrogation table — twice. This morning, he is expected at Police Headquarters after Magistrate Nadine Lia ordered an investigation into the possible unlawful leaks published in his book about Pilatus Bank. The book, presented as a crusade for truth, is now under scrutiny for disclosing sensitive investigative material, potentially in breach of the law. If whistleblowing is to have credibility, it must respect legal limits. Aquilina, it seems, prefers to write his own rules.
But it doesn’t stop there.
Just last Saturday, Aquilina was also summoned to Police HQ — this time over domestic violence allegations made by his wife. A formal risk assessment classified the situation as “high risk” and “extremely worrying.” His defense? That she’s mentally unwell and fabricating it all — a chillingly familiar excuse to anyone familiar with patterns of abuse. Experts in the field of gender-based violence have described this tactic used by Robert Aquilina as a classic method of silencing victims and deflecting responsibility.
Where is the Robert Aquilina who preaches about resignations, institutional integrity, and moral leadership? Where is the loud voice that once called for politicians to step down at the first sign of scandal?
The truth is hard to ignore: Robert Aquilina has built his identity on holding others to account — but now refuses to hold himself to the same standard. And that is the mark not of a reformer, but of a hypocrite.
Robert Aquilina
It’s time Aquilina learns what every person must understand: the rule of law is not a weapon to be used against your enemies. It is a shield that protects everyone – including from you.
The very banner you love to wave, Dr. Aquilina, applies to you too.
1 Comment
Ma nixtieqx deni fuq hadd.
Il-piz biex taghha ezempju tajjeb bil-fatti minn dak li tipriedka hu kbir.
Meta Alfred Sant ried is-sewwa, zebilhugh.
Wahda minnhom kienet Dik li Dan Robert Illum ghadu jiddifendi il-legat taghha.