Robert Aquilina has built a public persona as Malta’s moral compass—an activist who rails against corruption, speaks of justice as sacred, and places himself at the forefront of every national controversy. But now, serious questions are being asked about the man behind the microphone. Because behind the grandstanding, there’s another story—one unfolding inside his own home.

Robert Aquilina is becoming A Challenge to Malta’s Stability.
Last Saturday, Aquilina was interrogated by police following a domestic violence report filed by his wife. According to law enforcement sources, a formal risk assessment concluded the situation posed a high risk to the woman’s life and safety—a chilling finding that casts a dark shadow over Aquilina’s self-proclaimed role as a champion of human rights.
Rather than facing these serious allegations with humility, Aquilina did what he always does: he flipped the narrative. Days after the interrogation, he made a public statement accusing both the Commissioner of Police and the Attorney General of engaging in “maneuvers” to suppress his work. According to him, this is all part of a wider conspiracy tied to his book on Pilatus Bank.

Robert Aquilina
It’s a convenient script—one where Aquilina is always the hero and Malta’s institutions are always the villains. But this time, the public isn’t buying it.
Weaponising Activism for Self-Preservation
Let’s be clear: this isn’t about Pilatus. It’s not about journalism. This is about a man trying to shift attention from an ongoing investigation into alleged extreme abuse in his own household.
What Aquilina has done by attacking the very institutions investigating him is nothing short of a blatant attempt to undermine public trust in law enforcement for personal gain.
He expects full accountability from ministers and public officials. Yet when it comes to his own actions, he claims persecution. He champions the rights of victims, unless the alleged victim is his own wife. He speaks of rule of law, unless the law comes knocking on his door.
Hypocrisy Hiding in Plain Sight
The contradictions are impossible to ignore. Aquilina demands transparency from others, but hides behind unnamed sources and conspiracy theories when facing scrutiny himself. He champions justice, but publicly attacks the police the moment they do their job.
The tragic irony? The very system he wanted to elevate—the legal process, the constitutional safeguards, the moral high ground—is now what he seeks to discredit and dodge.
Not Above the Law
Malta deserves better than self-styled martyrs who believe justice is only valid when it benefits them. No one, not politicians, not judges, not activists, are above the law. And the rule of law applies even when it’s uncomfortable.
The public will be watching closely—not to applaud Aquilina’s theatrics, but to ensure that the allegations against him are treated with the seriousness they deserve. Justice isn’t a press conference. It’s not a book launch. And it’s certainly not a smokescreen.
If Robert Aquilina still wants to be taken seriously as a defender of democracy, he should start by respecting its most basic tenets: truth, accountability, and equality before the law.
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2 Comments
Xma ihosux il-fuq mill ligi dan l#ghambaqru. Just in the middle of this frakas by in-nutar tal-kurja, Dlonk hass il-htiga BVishop Frendo li jaqbes head first fin-nofs, ”FORGIVE BEFORE GOING TO PLOCE HE URGES ABUSE VICTIMS. Daqxejn dejaq mid dera dan BISHOP fRENDO.
Bishop Frendo should have kept his bias out of the door.
He should have checked how many times victims are abused and forgave their aggressors and many more remain silent and keep getting abused.
Is Archbishop Frendo a predator from the way he expressed himself?