MEP candidates' overspending controversy ends in court

Two European Parliament election candidates yesterday filed a judicial protest calling for an investigation into the expenses of those who contested the June 6 election.

Imperium Europa leader Norman Lowell and Emy Bezzina, from the Alpha Liberal Party, protested against candidates' overspending, a controversy sparked by a series of articles in The Sunday Times, which revealed that at least eight EP contenders exceeded the spending cap.

The newspaper has been insisting that the six elected MEPs give a detailed account of their campaign costs but they have so far refused.

Mr Lowell and Dr Bezzina claimed several of the candidates, including the successful ones, had breached the legal budget limit of just over €18,000. The protest was filed against the Prime Minister, the Opposition Leader, the Attorney General, the Chief Electoral Commissioner, the Police Commissioner, the European Commission Representative Office, the Office of the European Parliament in Malta and the Foreign Minister.

Addressing the press opposite the law courts, Dr Bezzina said investigations into the candidates' expenses could only be launched at the Attorney General's request and they were asking him to do his duty and order the Police Commissioner to probe the candidates' expenditure.

Dr Bezzina said a court case would be instituted against the Attorney General if he failed to initiate an investigation.

Mr Lowell and Dr Bezzina said that if the law was broken, the election should be annulled in terms of the electoral law. None of the elected MEPs should be sworn in before the investigation was concluded, they insisted.

The two candidates, who failed to be elected, asked the authorities to investigate all spending including advertising and promotion on newspapers, online advertising, mail shots and billboards.

The Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader were asked to disassociate themselves from the alleged abuses.

Mr Lowell called on the President to take action, saying this was his first political test.

On Sunday, two unelected candidates, Alan Deidun (Nationalist Party) and Claudette Abela Baldacchino (Labour), accepted a request by The Sunday Times to have a journalist present while taking their oath. Both declared they spent well below the legal limit.

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

If the limit is exceeded, it was possible candidates would not be allowed to serve if elected. If not elected, the person was liable to a fine.

For the past six weeks, The Sunday Times had been chasing candidates to disclose the cost of their campaigns.

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

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

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

Dr Deidun and Ms Abela Baldacchino were among 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 six elected MEPs have so far refused to agree to the newspaper's request for a disclosure of expenses and have denied access to witness their oath.