In my mind, good old King Juan Carlos of Spain remains the monarch who sat through the 1982 World Cup finals as royal of the host nation. I don’t have a particular fancy for royalty so my knowledge of whatever he has been up to since stopped there. Until, that is, news of the corruption scandal linking King JC to bribes paid by Saudis in connection with some railway contract.
King JC stepped aside and let his son take the crown but the scandal was not ging away any time soon. And it shouldn’t because let’s face it justice should be the same for all, whether or not there is a real or imaginary crown on their head. Today’s news that the former King is going to self-imposed exile in the Dominican Republic still does not exonerate him from any responsibility.
In a statement, King JC’s lawyers stated that he was not escaping justice and would still be available to prosecutors.
I am not quite sure how that story will end but it jars with the story of Malta’s very own disgraced King who continues to live beyond his declared means. While he may believe that these matters are private and “none of your business” there is no doubt that many questions remain to be answered.
The rules of our democracy are flaunted daily by the members of the political parties who have had the indecency to craft the rules to their needs over the last decades. From political party financing, to personal accounts and interests of the various MPs, to the make up of the various authorities that are supposed to uphold the rule of law, all of them are guilty of taking the law for one big ride.
For there is no doubt that if Muscat’s annual declaration of assets were to be believed there is no way in hell he can be affording all this gallivanting and playing around with his imaginary jet-set. The class-obsessed couple (remember the call for a Middle Class for all) cannot resist to flaunt their extravagant lifestyle and in doing so they continue to beg questions that remain unanswered.
The disgraced ex-PM who presided over the most corrupt executive in Maltese history does not need to go into exile. The reason for that is that we still live in times of impunity, notwithstanding the cosmetic changes we have recently witnessed.
There are crooks everywhere, the situation remains as desperate as ever.
