Valentina Cauchi, daughter of Moira Cauchi, who suffered life-changing injuries after being struck by a car travelling at around 110km/h in 2016, has publicly criticised lawyer Franco Debono over remarks she alleges he made during recent court proceedings.In an emotional Facebook post, Valentina expressed her frustration at the treatment of her mother, who was brought to court despite being wheelchair-bound and unable to speak following the devastating incident nearly a decade ago.According to Valentina, Debono, who represents the driver involved in the case, questioned her mother’s presence in court, allegedly remarking: “Is she going to testify? We come all the way here with the wheelchair. I thought she was going to testify.”The comments prompted a strongly worded response from Valentina, who shared the following message on social media.Valentina Cauchi’s full statement, translated from Maltese:“Ten years ago, my mother was going out for a meal with her friend. That day, her life, and all of our lives, changed forever.After more than ten years since my mother’s accident, going back and forth to court, playing games, because you can’t call it anything else, fighting for the bare minimum against Malta’s scum, today we took my mother to court… so that she could be present for the case concerning her own life.Franco Debono felt the need to say these words:‘Is she going to testify? We come all the way here with the wheelchair. I thought she was going to testify.’Well, let me tell you something, Franco.‘Her’ name is Moira Cauchi.If your client hadn’t left her unable to speak, she would have testified, and I assure you she would have silenced even you with her words.If your client hadn’t left her unable to move, she wouldn’t have entered in a wheelchair but in high heels, and rest assured that everyone would have stopped to look at her because of the presence she had before your client ran her over.Franco, you who can still stand on your own two feet, are not half the person my mother is, despite what your client did to her.It’s clear that not even all the money in the world can make you a decent human being.”Nearly a decade of court proceedingsValentina’s public criticism comes after years of legal proceedings stemming from the incident on 16th September 2016, when Moira, then 51, was struck by a vehicle driven by Renald Aquilina while using a pedestrian crossing in Gżira.Aquilina was driving at approximately 110km/h when he hit Moira, leaving her with severe injuries, including brain damage and multiple fractures. She spent more than a year in hospital and faced a long and difficult recovery, with her family having to make significant changes to their lives to support her.Her condition subsequently deteriorated further. Following a brain haemorrhage in 2024, Moira lost much of her remaining ability to communicate and now requires round-the-clock care.The legal proceedings have also been prolonged. In April 2023, Aquilina received a suspended prison sentence, which was subsequently challenged on appeal. In July 2025, he was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment, but that judgment was overturned in November 2025 because of a procedural error concerning his guilty plea, sending the case back to court once again.For Valentina and her family, the repeated court appearances have meant revisiting an incident that permanently changed their lives, while continuing to fight for what she describes as the bare minimum.Her latest statement highlights not only her frustration with the lengthy judicial process but also her anger over what she considers a lack of dignity and respect towards her mother.Nearly ten years after the incident, Valentina’s message is clear: behind the legal proceedings is a woman whose life was irreversibly changed, and whose dignity, she believes, must not be forgotten.The courtroom remarks attributed to Franco Debono are based on Valentina Cauchi’s public account and have not been independently verified.•