(Adds Finance Ministry's reply)

Labour leader Joseph Muscat today pledged to "clean up politics" and slammed the Finance Ministry for having documents related to oil commissions since 2011 but not acting upon them.

Praising the independent media for doing its job, he cited articles in The Sunday Times and MaltaToday and asked who were the politicians who had taken gifts related to the oil commissions.

Dr Muscat was addressing a mass meeting in 21st September Avenue, Naxxar. He began by paying tribute to Independence Day, saying he would work tirelessly over the next year to see all the Maltese celebrating this and other national feasts as one.

Dr Muscat did not mention the controversy surrounding deputy leader for party affairs Toni Abela, who showed up on stage with deputy leader for parliamentary affairs Louis Grech after he spoke.

Dr Muscat said the PN was mounting one of the most negative campaigns in history and the worst attacks were yet to come in the coming days. Labour would respond with more positivism, he said.

Dr Muscat said the days of tribal politics were over and the country was now uniting for change.

He thanked students for the huge welcome they gave him and his movement's ideas at Junior College, Higher Secondary and University.

"I want you to stand up and show the country that we are ready to lead," he said to loud applause.

Addressing the mass meeting before Dr Muscat,  Austrian social democrat group president Hannes Swoboda stated his conviction that Labour will reign supreme.

"We won the elections in Slovakia, the Netherlands, Romania and France. Now it will be Malta who will join us," he said, adding at his group was changing the face of Europe.

"This will be a social Europe, not one run by small groups of people who want to gain money for themselves," he said.

FINANCE MINISTRY STATEMENT

In a statement, the Finance Ministry reiterated that on receiving the information on an incorrect declaration of income by Aikon Ltd in August 2011, it immediately informed the Tax Compliance Unit for investigation purposes.

The shareholder and director of Aikon Ltd was the fiduciary company Intershore Fiduciary Services Ltd so, from the information given to the ministry, no connection could be made to Mr Farrugia, the person being named in the oil commissions scandal.

The ministry categorically denied that the information it had been given included any reference or indication of gifts and financial transactions or payments to third parties.

 

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