PN to put forward motion of no confidence in Sliema mayor

Sliema local councillors from the Nationalist Party have signed a motion of no confidence in disgraced mayor Nikki Dimech after he refused to resign despite admitting bribery to police.

It is not yet known when they will present the motion since the party is still hoping Mr Dimech will resign freely without needing to be ousted, even though he is reportedly insisting on staying on as an independent councillor.

The PN on Friday announced that Mr Dimech had been given the boot and was no longer considered a member of the party.

Meanwhile, the Labour Party has refused to make its position clear as to how its councillors would vote on a motion of no confidence, saying only they would vote “conscientiously” and in a “compact manner” after the motion was debated.

PN general secretary Paul Borg Olivier yesterday told The Sunday Times the Sliema mayor may have to answer to criminal charges and the PN had decided his political position within the party was untenable.

“This grave statement of political incorrectness has severely prejudiced the council and it is a natural course for the Sliema councillors to collectively table a motion of no confidence in the interest of the locality.”

He said PN councillors had discussed and agreed to sign a motion of no confidence – except one councillor who is currently abroad.

Sources said the meeting took place at the PN headquarters in Pietà on Thursday, shortly after it was revealed that Mr Dimech admitted soliciting a commission from a contractor.

Initially, Mr Dimech had agreed he would go to the PN headquarters to resign at 11 a.m. but he never showed up and refused to answer some 17 phone calls by Dr Borg Olivier, as well as several text messages and ­e-mails.

Eventually, Dr Borg Olivier decided to send him a letter by hand saying he had been kicked out of the party, and the rest of the councillors met to discuss the next step.

Councillor Sandra Camilleri did not attend the meeting and she reportedly only agreed to sign the motion after a private meeting with Dr Borg Olivier.

Sources said she was a “party rebel” and she was more willing to back Mr Dimech; however, she was not available for comment yesterday.

Meanwhile, another councillor present at the meeting made it clear he had reservations about signing the motion without hearing Mr Dimech’s side of the story but eventually decided to toe the party line.

Dr Borg Olivier stressed that the party expected all councillors to carry out their duties according to the highest ethical standards at all times.

Sources also said Mr Dimech’s confession was just “the tip of the iceberg” and his policy of giving favours to those who helped him in his campaign would soon reveal more wrongdoings in police investigations.

Meanwhile, the police yesterday categorically denied allegations made on Malta Today’s website that Mr Dimech only agreed to sign a confession under duress because he was denied his asthma inhaler.

The police said Mr Dimech was given all constitutional rights and was allowed to consult with a lawyer of his choice prior to interrogation.

“Mr Dimech’s inhaler and pills were also brought to police general headquarters by a friend of his while he was in custody; however, he did not request to make use of them,” the police said.

They added that the allegations were untrue and being made to tarnish their reputation and that the “sources” behind the allegations may be liable to legal action.