Justice, accountability and media freedom are the foundations of sustainable development

We consider the achievement of the Sustainable Development goals to be important and are willing to participate in relevant fora, but we have declined the Ministry for Energy’s invitation to participate in the Sustainable Development Forum organised at the Tumas Group’s Doubletree Hilton hotel. The choice of venue is incompatible with the Sustainable Development goals which are themselves indivisible from media freedom, justice, accountability, and integrity in public life.

Yorgen Fenech, who controls Tumas Group, is currently facing multiple charges in several criminal cases relating to corruption and bribery, money laundering, and the illicit importation of firearms, ammunition, and poison, and the Attorney General is appealing Fenech’s acquittal of complicity in Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination.

The Maltese State is, on the one hand, prosecuting Yorgen Fenech and, on the other hand, dropping off wheelbarrows of money on his doorstep. Malta’s government and public entities have paid the Maltese conglomerate Tumas Group at least €4,859,761.80 through direct orders and tender awards from 16 October 2017 to 31 December 2023 alone. This was established through a year-long research project by The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation.

Justice, media freedom, accountability, and integrity in public life are inseparable from sustainable development. As with all other events organised at Tumas Group venues, the Sustainable Development Forum will add to the millions of euros in public money transferred to entities ultimately controlled by Yorgen Fenech.