Mistra: Muscat demands statement from the Prime Minister
Joseph Muscat and his wife Michelle wave to Labour supporters with Anglu Farrugia, deputy leader for Parliamentary affairs, behind them.
Labour leader Joseph Muscat has called on the Prime Minister to make a statement on the political implications of the Mistra case, now that police and Attorney General investigations had been concluded.
Dr Muscat said the MLP had always respected the national institutions and would not undermine them. The party had noted the legal points which emerged from the work of the police and the attorney general and thanked them for their service.
However the MLP held that the Mistra case had both legal and political implications and it was the Prime Minister who was responsible for the governance of the country. Seriousness, therefore, demanded a statement by Dr Gonzi in Parliament or in public.
The MLP would allow time for the Prime Minister to speak and then make its own views public, Dr Muscat said.
He made his comments at the MLP club in Rabat, where he was given an enthusiastic reception by hundreds of supporters who packed the club's hall and also listened form outside the club.
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21 Comments
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Joe Galea
Jun 17th 2008, 08:05
After following Bondi+ yesterday in which JPo was the interviewed, I waived any doubt that JPO is inoocent in this caseHe deviated from most questions made. He twisted all that he originally said before the elections. In one breath he said he knew about the project, then in another he said he didn't know...what a joker!!!
Why Gonzi doesn't want to speak up? Is he afraid of hurting JPO with the fear of him toppling the government? For GonziPN there is no new political season for sure, they are stuck in their old Spring season, weathered many years ago.
Pauline Barbara
Jun 16th 2008, 23:29
@ G.Mangion - My 'Tpacipic' is relevant, yours I'm afraid is senseless, The Mistra Show is Over you say, trying telling that to the MEPA officals being taken to court? You're not able to discuss valid points, but you are very able when it comes to throwing insults - I wonder where you get it from your PN indoctrination by chance!
Maria Dolores Fenech
Jun 16th 2008, 22:40
@Gerald Mangion
If you have watched Bondi+, then you would have heard the PM say that JPO will still not form part of the Cabinet; ie the PM's decision (given on Dissett on 11th March) is still the same. It seems that even the PM is not giving JPO the (political) benefit of the doubt, even though the GA did not have enough evidence to take JPO to court.
mark tanti
Jun 16th 2008, 22:20
What about a statement from the MLP side to explain to all of us who was behind this dishonest plan against JPO in a last desperate attempt to gain power at all costs. Any comment by PM will say will be interpreted from the MLP side as trying to defend JPO. Now that facts are getting more clear and it will continue so in the future it is evident that all that was said regarding this case were all pure lies and lies come only from a liar.
Gerard Mangion
Jun 16th 2008, 18:18
@ david gatt,
Yes one seat in the Parlament for the P.N only ! and doing just fine, afriad my a**
the thing is that the mlp won't lose, another seat as is the JDG big deal at the moment.
@ pauline barbara
what you sent in your comment is senseless, as you said in your comment, the messages from you / we addrresed to me here, are falling on deaf ears. I am not the only one here and
surely someone can hear your' TPACCPIC more than me, THE MISTRA SHOW IS WELL OVER NOW, regards.
@ kevin abela
Question were asked, and Answered too, by whom ? By the national institutions ( Police and the A.G's, that the new leader JM kindly thanked so much.
David Gatt
Jun 16th 2008, 16:32
Gonzi has to speak and do something about this. He cannot sit out of this one, cause JPO is a member of his party and he's a member of parliament on the PN benches.
If Gonzi doesn't do nothing about this wee all know why: Gonzi is afraid because he's only got a 1 member majority.
Pauline Barbara
Jun 16th 2008, 14:39
@ G.Mangion
I'm afraid it goes way beyond AG stating there was not enough evidence that JPO put pressure on MEPA.
During the election campaign Gonzi was making a big play on how he would be tackling the issue of the enviornment head on, and yet allows JPO (who allowed his tenant to proceed with applying for a permit to build on a nature reserve) to contest the election under the PN banner.
The sad thing is Gonzi will probably use the same tact that you are using - avoid the main issue and attack Joseph & MLP about not trusting the authorities. Twisting and Spinning is the name of PN's game and you are their no. 1 advocate, so I'm pretty sure all the messages we are addressing to you will fall on deaf ears.
kevinabela
Jun 16th 2008, 13:55
@g.Mangion.
What do you expect that no one asks questions. After all Dr.Gonzi always stated that he would give his comments after the investigations were over. Now that they are over YES we demand an explanation of the political implications.
gerard Mangion
Jun 16th 2008, 11:22
The new mlp leader JM, said he does not undermine the national institutions and thanked them for their service,
But in his next breath his asking the P.M Dr Gonzi to make a statement on this issue too,
Why does he wants another staement, the JPO one is crystal clear, Do or does he not have the Respect for the Police and the AG, that concluded their Investigations ?
the mlp's old paranoid background NEVER ENDS.
adriana chircop
Jun 16th 2008, 08:58
Jpo has not convinced us. Maybe the police can explain how two MEPA officials and a person commisioned to make a report on the project are charged but the person who commissioned the report or who supposedly made the application is not charged.
Joe Galea
Jun 16th 2008, 07:49
@Denis Catania, let's now not play the game of beware of the OLD. I am no die-hard labourite but because common sense tells me so, I don't think that JPO is crystal clear as the "investigations" have shown. There are a lot of unanswered questions about this case (like why the report took so long at the AG after the investigations have been concluded?) Remember that GonziPN has to do everything to keep JPO alive in Parliament since the 1 seat majority, otherwise he would result in a problem for the government. So everyone can come to his/her conclusions.
Then what about all the things rightly mentioned by Claire Bonello? What about the signed contracts by JPO? So conclusion is that this case is another farce and YES JM and MLP have all the rights to demand answers. So all the PN apologists should wake up and realise that MLP is still there, now stronger more than ever. We are fed up with cover-ups to the detriment of the environment and other sectors.
C.Bartolo
Jun 15th 2008, 23:17
As a resident of Mellieha I feel offended by all of this. JPO clearly had some kind of say in all of this matter, and few of us are believing his crying antics. There is no sane land owner who has no idea of what is happening with his lands. And there is no sane PM who has no idea of what his MPs are doing.
Therefore, here I agree with Joseph Muscat in asking the PM for a statement regarding this matter. This is not the old way of doing things, but rather the new way. The old way calls for the PM not issuing the said statement and denying all of this, protecting the wrong-doer and leaving us all on the bad end of the stick.
Who has to take political responsibility for this scandal? The obvious choice falls onto JPO as he is the main actor in this saga, no matter what he says; as he is the land owner and he signed the 15 year lease contract. Thus Malta, and the Mellieha residents, await the PM to clarify and tell us what procedures will be taken against JPO.
Maria Dolores Fenech
Jun 15th 2008, 22:45
What about the MEPA's Auditor Report? Did the GA take it into consideration??? These seem two conflicting reports.
Joseph Grech-Attard
Jun 15th 2008, 21:12
The most welcome, new, young and energetic MLP leader has so rightly said that the Mistra scandal 'had both legal and political implications'. I cannot agree more. However the implications carry also moral and ethical implications, for which the PM is also wholly responsible. Hence a statement from him on these lines is also solicited.
Claire Bonello
Jun 15th 2008, 20:22
JPO has said that he has no interest in the application. Can he (or the PM) explain the following:
And a few months after the permit was issued, Dr Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando signed a 15 year lease contract with a tenant, through which he was to get €104,821 every year, or a total of over €1.5 million. Dr Pullicino Orlando also bound the tenant to spend another €350,000 in “improvements to the premises of a permanent nature to be completed by 1 June 2009,” which will remain property of the landowner at the end of the lease. The lease agreement also specified that the tenant was to give Dr Pullicino Orlando copies of the VAT receipts for the €350,000 works to be carried out in the protected site.
Pauline Barbara
Jun 15th 2008, 18:56
@ Charles Camilleri - Joseph Muscat is saying that Labour respects the AG's decision, but with all due respect not finding enough evidence to prove JPO put pressure on MEPA, does not mean that there was no pressure!! JPO himself said that when his tennant asked him about the status of the application because he had heard nothing from MEPA, he offered to call MEPA himself to follow up on this. That call was not recorded and therefore we have no idea what was said, we will now see what the MEPA officials defence throws up in court.
Finally if JPO was the enviornmentalist he portrays himself to be (& that has been his political ticket) when his tennant asked him re: his intended disco project , JPO should have just said 'No way, over my dead body'.
Its got nothing to do with being Labour, PN, Alternativa. We are living in a democracy, & therefore each and every human being has a right to voice there opinion; also I would wait for MLP's official statement with regards to this issue, explaining in detail the partys' views.
Denis Catania
Jun 15th 2008, 18:47
JOSEPH don't fall in the traps of the old timers. The Prime Minister has nothing to do with criminal investigations. Speak to the justce minister behind close doors. Because if you are wrong the people(floaters,1st time voters etc.) won't forget. they tend to remember the wrongs more than the rights. You'll probably going to be the next PM. Don't let the old timers brain wash you. Let the Prime Minister do his job, and question the Justice Minister who Gonzi appointed or kept as Justice Minister.The Prime Ministers job should not be diverted with such issues. He has issues as trying to get our hostage released, shorter waits for health care and so on.JOSEPH it's your party now.Make your decision.As a PN supporter, I trust you can lead this country without influences of the OLD timers.Reach out to the old timers and embrace them, but use your young bright mind.
Joseph Sammut
Jun 15th 2008, 18:15
It seems that we are still hell bent in not accepting anything MLP does or says, no matter how it does or says it and who ever leads the party!
All Dr. Muscat is requesting is a statement from the PM, given that although JPO has not been found to have committed a criminal act, most of us are convinced that the issues are far from straight and are still waiting for an explanation to conflicting statements made by JPO in light of an existing contract.
As a tax paying citizen, surely one must feel the right to be satisfied and convinced first and above partisan politics.
Marcel Dingli
Jun 15th 2008, 17:52
Mr Camilleri are you stating that wrong doings are only of a criminal nature ?
Claude Farrugia
Jun 15th 2008, 17:28
@ Charles Camilleri
Most sane Maltese with an average intelligence are still skeptical about the JPO case and its recent outcome, and the PM himself appears to be one of them.
Charles Camilleri
Jun 15th 2008, 15:46
It seems that with Joe as the new leader we are back to square one. Labour never accepts any verdict which it does not concur.