Toni Abela should withdraw his nomination to the European Court of Auditors, the rapporteur who drew up a report on the candidacy said yesterday.
Slovenian MEP Igor Soltes, who is also vice-chairman of the European Parliament’s Budgetary Control Committee, said that, following last Tuesday’s grilling, Dr Abela had only one honourable option.
“If he respects himself, and I am sure he does, Dr Abela should withdraw his nomination. He can go ahead if he chooses to and face the plenary’s vote but he has already promised in writing that he will respect the European Parliament’s opinion,” Mr Soltes told the Times of Malta.
Mr Soldes referred to replies Dr Abela gave in writing to the European Parliament prior to this week’s hearing, in which he pledged to respect the MEPs’ opinion.
When asked before the hearing whether he would withdraw his candidacy in case of a negative vote Dr Abela replied: “If the Parliament finds major objections to my nomination to the Court of Auditors, I will feel obliged to withdraw my candidacy.”
Dr Abela was botched by the Budgetary Control Committee after a 30-minute sitting. In a secret vote later, 17 MEPs voted against his nomination with nine voting in favour.
According to the EU Treaty, if Dr Abela or the Prime Minister decide to ignore the committee’s recommendation, the MEPs will take a vote in a plenary session of the European Parliament.
If Dr Abela presses on with this candidacy, I will obviously have to report to the plenary and recommend that Dr Abela should be turned down
While recognising his right to ignore the committee’s decisions, Mr Soltes said that normally the plenary will take the same line as the committee.
“If Dr Abela presses on with this candidacy, I will obviously have to report to the plenary and recommend that Dr Abela should be turned down.
“We think that Dr Abela is not the right candidate for the European Court of Auditors and this came out loud and clear from the hearing,” he said.
The rapporteur said that while, according to the treaty, the Parliament’s opinion was just consultative and the council (governments) could change that decision, “this will be considered as an affront to the European Parliament”.
Doubts have been raised on whether Dr Abela has resigned from his post of Labour deputy. However, during Tuesday’s session, he twice insisted he was no longer involved in politics.
Asked by Socialist MEP Boguslaw Liberadzki whether as consultant to the Prime Minster he had been giving advice on the current ongoing crisis related to corruption in Malta, Dr Abela replied: “I had already declared I would not continue occupying the post of deputy leader.”
In another intervention, Dr Abela declared: “I am no longer in the political arena as I was two months ago.” So far, neither the Prime Minster nor Dr Abela have made any declaration on the way forward following Tuesday’s vote.
However, immediately after the vote, Dr Abela described the decision as the end of the road for him. Efforts to contact Dr Abela yesterday were unsuccessful. Speaking from Brussels, the Prime Minister said that no decision had been taken yet, as he had first to speak to Dr Abela when he returned to Malta.
Health and Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi was overwhelmingly elected as Labour’s deputy leader late last month, succeeding Dr Abela. Questions sent to Dr Mizzi on whether he had already taken over the party’s deputy leadership remained unanswered.