10.41am - Added PN reaction
The Nationalist Party should publish the names of donors who contributed to its ċedoli scheme, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said this morning as he compared the scheme to money-laundering.
The Prime Minister was reacting to an interview with Opposition leader Simon Busuttil, published in today’s edition of The Sunday Times of Malta. In his comments Dr Busuttil defended the controversial scheme, saying the PN had already raised close to €3 million.
In a telephone interview aired on One Radio, the Prime Minister argued ċedoli were a means of evading party financing legal obligations.
“If he really raised €3 million and wants to be credible he should publish the names of all donors. Otherwise he would be dodging transparency, as this bears similarities with money-laundering schemes,” the Prime Minister said.
Dr Muscat even questioned whether fish farm operators were among those who had contributed to this scheme, saying Dr Busuttil's recent stance in favour of giving operators more time to fix irregularities raised suspicions.
The Prime Minister distanced himself from the Planning Authority’s decision to postpose enforcement action against fish farm owners, saying the decision was "disappointing" but that the government could not interfere with decisions made by the planning watchdog.
Simon Busuttil’s environmental stances did not match his words, Dr Busuttil said.
"He presents himself as a paladin of the environment, but he has now said that he wants the Freeport to expand further inland, and fish farms to continue operating," Dr Muscat attacked.
Touching on tourism, the Prime Minister said preliminary figures suggested close to 250,000 tourists had visited Malta in August alone, with more than 1 million tourists having come to the country in the first seven months of the year.
He highlighted Easyjet's decision to service all its aircraft in Malta as a sign of the country's progress, and recalled meeting company executives some two years ago to "play the role of salesman".
"Easyjet executives themselves said that they didn't pick Malta by chance," the Prime Minister said.
'We're not like Muscat' - PN
In a reaction, the Nationalist Party said its ċedoli scheme was transparent and in line with party financing laws.
"Muscat's insinuations, inventions and fabrications are simply confirmation that he's measuring us using his own yardstick," the party said.
"Because his chief of staff Keith Schembri and minister Konrad Mizzi have secret companies in Panama - a classic case of money-laundering - he thinks everyone is like him," the PN added.