Muscat admits Safi drug case mistake
Labour leader Joseph Muscat has admitted making a “mistake” when he failed to report a case of drugs at the party’s Safi club in 2009, but he insists he never lied to reporters.
Dr Muscat spoke to The Sunday Times about the controversy which began when tapes emerged of deputy leader Toni Abela speaking about the case with Attard committee members.
Although he defended Dr Abela’s actions as “genuine” and praised him for standing up for Labour diehard Lorry Sant in the past, Dr Muscat said: “If he was a general election candidate he would have had to withdraw his candidature.”
Asked if he would have accepted Dr Abela’s resignation as deputy leader if it were to be submitted, Dr Muscat pointed out that while this had not happened, he would have accepted.
“When someone submits their resignation it is obvious they would have thought about it. So if a resignation is submitted, it should be accepted.”
The Labour leader said he learned about the case from letters written by the barman who Dr Abela sacked after he was told about the incident.
“The incident had already happened. When I delegate a task, I leave things in the hands of the person responsible. This is how I work. My job is not to overturn their decisions,” he says, stressing that Dr Abela took the decisions in this case.
However, Dr Muscat acknowledges that he should have reported the case once it was brought to his attention a month after the incident happened.
“I think we all made a mistake,” he said, adding that he learnt from this incident and intended to reform political clubs and turn them into family centres, rather than bars.
During the same interview, Dr Muscat called for the resignation of Finance Minister Tonio Fenech for “breaching” the ministerial Code of Ethics by accepting a gift from the sister-in-law of rogue oil trader George Farrugia.
Mr Fenech had denied meeting Mr Farrugia but on Friday admitted meeting him on at least two occasions, once in his own home and once in his capacity as minister regarding a tender, said Dr Muscat.
“Resigning with only 14 days to the election is not shouldering responsibility. He should withdraw his candidature,” said Dr Muscat.
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C Muscat
Feb 25th, 11:11
Jien kontra id-droga u ghalhekk swer nivvota ghal PL ghax taht ilPN tant kibret li ssibha anke go kumpless maghluq bhal habs.
Francis Saliba M.D.
Feb 25th, 13:02
Jekk int kontra d-droga ma jmissekx tappoggja li min jostor traffiku ta' kokajina f'kazin laburista, bies u ghatba ma' skola.
Il-habsijiet tad-dinja kollha huma mifnija bil-problema tad-droga bhal ma tistenna minn kommunita ta' prigunieri hafna minnhom dipendenti fuq id-droga.
Ronnie Callus
Feb 25th, 13:44
Proset Sur.Muscat others are following.
Michael Magri
Feb 25th, 14:54
".. ma jmissekx tappoggja li min jostor traffiku ta' kokajina f'kazin laburista.."
Allura x`qed tipprova timplika Sur Dottore, li Dr Muscat b`xi mod immaginarju tieghek huwa b`xi mod involut fit-traffikar tal-kokaina..!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ghidilna please, will you....!!!
Francis Saliba M.D.
Feb 25th, 20:46
@MichaelMagri today 14:54
Please have the decency not to ask barbed questions intended to create the false impression that I had tried to imply something that I clearly didn't. What I wrote is clear beyond doubt and not susceptible to any malicious (mis)interpretation. Joseph Muscat made the mistake (his word) of trying to hide serious crime in a PL club near a school.
Patrick Zammit
Feb 25th, 08:25
For all those criticizing JM for not reporting the case to the police (for our children's sake) and those feigning shock about all this;
Why didn't the top PN officials (including GonziPN) who came to know of this case not file a police report themselves two years ago?
Weren't they worried, concerned and shocked back then?
How sanctimonious of you!
Francis Saliba M.D.
Feb 25th, 05:41
Minister Fenech DID NOT breach the Ethics Code. That code discouraged acceptance of gifts of such magnitude as to "create an obligation" not a small DIY gift costing so little that the LP lies about it and inflates it to an expensive 5000 euro gift. By now we don't expect anything better from an LP leader who stabs his own deputy in the back and admits concealing serious crime (life imprisonment)
Maria Camilleri
Feb 25th, 04:18
Il-familji Maltin iridu li min imexxi l-pajjiz jahbi minflok jirrapporta kazi ta' droga? Dawn nies li jekk ikunu fil-gvern se jaghmlu hsara kbira liz-zaghzagh taghna u lill-familji ghax id-droga teqred u taghmel herba miz-zaghazagh u l-familji taghna.
Joe Tabone
Feb 24th, 21:54
So if Minister Fenech should resign for accepting a clock manufactured and presented as a gift by one of his constituents, what should Joseph do for not taking steps in a drug related case, and Police were not informed?
After FOUR (4) weeks in the local press, is it possible that Joseph was not informed that his (PL) Financial Administrator was a director in the Fiduciary company of Aikon??
Ms Xixi Caruana
Feb 24th, 21:26
Shame on you Dr Muscat !!!!!!! This drug issue is extremely serious and we as parents are shocked beyond words. This is unbelievable ...
Mr leo attard
Feb 24th, 21:18
at least Muscat is man enough to say he had made a mistake -- that is the sign of genuine leader. it's not like he was dealing in drugs. shwarzenegger was accused of groping while he was contesting in california -- he admitted to it and went on to become a very good governor.
Francis Saliba M.D.
Feb 25th, 13:08
Muscat only paid lip service. He did not report anybody who committed a crime liable to a life sentence, did not stick a knife in the back of yet another deputy leader. If anything he behaved like an accessory after the concealment abuse and regretted it only after he was caught making that "mistake".
Francis Saliba M.D.
Feb 25th, 16:57
The last sentence in my comment (13:o8) should read:
If anything he behaved like an "accessory after the fact" by concealing the abuse and regretted it only after he was caught out making that "mistake".
Apologies.
Mr leo attard
Feb 24th, 21:17
at least Muscat is man enough to say he had made a mistake -- that is the sign of genuine leader. it's not like he was dealing in drugs. shwarzenegger was accused of groping while he was contesting in california -- he admitted to it and went on to become a very good governor.
Alfred Cassar
Feb 24th, 20:35
So Muscat is asking for resignation of minister Fenech about a stupid gift, but he does not consider HIS resignation because of the drugs case
Joe Bonanno
Feb 24th, 23:03
By the time Muscat heard about the drug incident in Safi, it was being related by a third party, thus hearsay. There was no documented proof that the substance seen at the club was actually illegal. That's why the Commissioner threw out the other accusation because he knew that it would have been laughed out of court. Fenech as a minister knew of the existence of a code of ethics for his office.
Alfred Cassar
Feb 24th, 20:34
Ara xi prim ministru jista jkollna ehhh hmistax ohra!! Ahna mbezza mid-droga ghal uliedna u hu ma jiehux azzjoni kontra min jittraffikaha fil-kazin tal-MLP
Susan Cassar
Feb 24th, 20:30
Woah the head of the party hiding a case like this...serious this..how can you do that and lie that you know nothing about it ...shame on you! this also goes to show that the Nationalist's are definitively credible and were right from day one on this case and all other allegations! can't believe there are some people who want to switch for a the Labour party full of lies ..astonishing!
Joe Bonanno
Feb 24th, 22:58
For a party that pardoned convicted drug dealers, it takes a lot of gall to play saints now. Queiroz was a hard core drug dealer and the PN let him loose after he was convicted and put in jail were he could do no more harm. Can any Nationalist assure me that he is now a model citizen and ceased being a merchant of death? If this gross hypocrisy doesn't put you off the PN, than nothing will.
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