Simon Busuttil as head of the Malta-EU Information Centre before Malta joined the EU, had awarded a consultancy contract to a company of which he was a director, the Labour Party said today.

Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis and MP Silvio Schmebri, speaking at a press conference, said the information emerged in reply to a parliamentary question yesterday. The parliamentary reply also showed that Dr Busuttil had engaged people with MIC without a public call.

Such practices, the minister said, contrasted sharply with what the PN was now saying in its document on good governance, especially where it spoke on positions of trust.

He said Dr Busuttil, himself engaged without a public call, had employed 17 people on positions of trust.

Dr Zammit Lewis said the government was going through a process of improving governance, such as through the law on standards in public life, and the law on the funding of political parties.

He noted a comment in today's editorial of Times of Malt which said that: “upholding high standards of political correctness is a fine deal. However, Dr Busuttil had better ensure those standards are first applied internally”.

Dr Busuttil, he said, had still not reacted to the information disclosed in parliament.

Mr Schembri said Dr Busuttil's salary, 17 years ago, was €40,800, which was 80% for than that of the head of the civil service or the attorney general. 

SIMON BUSUTTIL REACTS

Reacting in parliament this evening, Dr Busuttil said the payments schedule tabled in Parliament by minister Helena Dalli in reply to the parliamentary question yesterday was 'completely mistaken'.

Those payments, he said, were not made by the Malta EU Infromation Centre, for which he was responsible, but by the Foreign Ministry of the time. 

Meanwhile, in a statement issued by the Nationalist Party, Dr Busuttil called on Dr Zammit Lewis and Mr Schembri to withdraw the 'lies' made about him and apologise within 24 hours. He would otherwise take legal action.