Candidates take expenses oath while MEPs remain silent

Two European Parliament candidates have taken an oath to declare that their campaign expenses were within the legal limit, though it remains unclear if the five serving MEPs will follow suit.

Nationalist candidate Alan Deidun and Labour's Claudette Abela Baldacchino took an oath declaring their expenses to be €8,780 and €7,905 respectively.

The electoral law states candidates cannot spend more than €18,635 (Lm8,000) on the campaign, including personal expenditure and that by third parties whether financial or in kind.

If candidates exceed the limit, it is possible they will not be allowed to serve if elected. If not elected, the person is liable to a fine.

For the past six weeks, The Sunday Times has been chasing candidates to disclose the cost of their campaigns. An analysis showed at least eight candidates appear to have surpassed the legal limit.

PN candidate Edward Demicoli openly admitted he had overspent by more than €30,000 and said he did not wish to take false oath.

Candidates have up to July 17 to declare their expenses to the Electoral Commission and take an oath.

When taking the oath, candidates may choose to do this privately with a notary of their choice. Since no commission representative will be present to verify the oath-taking, this newspaper asked candidates from the two main political parties to grant access to a journalist.

Dr Deidun and Ms Abela Baldacchino were among just seven candidates from the two main political parties who accepted the request. PN candidates Edward Demicoli and Rudolph Cini agreed, as did Labour candidates Christian Zammit, Maria Camilleri and Steve Borg.

However, the five elected MEPs have so far refused to agree to this newspaper's request for a disclosure of expenses and have denied access to witness their oath.

Dr Deidun said he had "nothing to hide" and called for a proper implementation of the law: "If it was, it seems the six elected MEPs may not be able to serve."

He added it was an open secret that candidates from both political parties broke the law by surpassing the legal limit.

"The law is there to be observed by all. If it was broken, then action should be taken. The Electoral Commission or the Police Commissioner must investigate. There is no excuse," he said.

He insisted leaders of the respective parties had to come together to ensure a level playing field in elections.

Arnold Cassola, another EP candidate who publicly disclosed the party's expenses after the election, said electoral commissions anywhere in the world had the moral and ethical responsibility to oversee the proper conduct of elections.

But when contacted, the commission said it would not be investigating. The commission will simply receive the candidates' declarations and publish them in the Government Gazette.

"If anybody feels the declaration is incorrect, then that person should complain with the police or something like that," the commission said.

The EP elections' law states that the amount at which the expenditure is capped is one "the Prime Minister may from time to time establish".

"It is strange that (Prime Minister) Lawrence Gonzi or (Labour leader) Joseph Muscat have not said a word on this," Prof. Cassola said.

According to Ms Abela Baldacchino, there was "a democratic deficit" in the way elections were held. "Is it only those who have the money who can represent the public?" she asked.

Documents seen by The Sunday Times show Ms Abela Baldacchino took out a personal bank loan of €11,000 for her campaign. She preferred a more grassroots approach where she visited families' homes - at least 100 families per day. She had no leaflets and minimal advertising.

"Everybody is responsible for his or her actions," Ms Abela Baldacchino said.