The House of Representatives is this evening debating an Opposition motion calling for a review of a ruling by the Speaker that had found Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi guilty of prima facie breach of privilege over a tweet against Justice Minister Owen Bonnici.
Dr Azzopardi had tweeted that the minister 'lied' in Parliament when, while being questioned in March in a sitting of the Public Accounts Committee, he had listed revenue by Henley and Partners from the citizenship scheme but excluded the money the company made from commissions on the sale of government stock.
The motion was moved by PN deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami, who said the Opposition was four square with Dr Azzopardi and agreed with his comments.
A reading of the transcript of the relevant sitting in March would prove the opposition right, Dr Fenech Adami said.
He asked why the minister had hidden this payment, given to a company which before the election had had meetings with the Labour Party in the fourth floor of its headquarters.
The minister had also misled the House when he wrongly claimed there was a court order banning publication of Henley's contract with the government, he said.
Dr Fenech Adami said that the Speaker’s argument was illogical, as it justified the omission on the basis of the fact that the minister he had later mentioned the omitted information in another session. Furthermore, the ruling set a bad precedent, as it concerned matters made on social media and outside Parliament.
The complaint made by the minister about Dr Azzopardi's tweet belied everything that Dr Bonnici made himself out to be, particularly that he was liberal and all for freedom of expression. This was a minister who moved a law decriminalising the vilification of religion, then raised a privilege complaint when he was criticised on a simple tweet, Dr Fenech Adami said.
He also asked how the €300m revenue from the citizenship programme were being used.
Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis denied that the minister had lied, insisting that the minister had spoken about Henley in three sittings in December, March and June, not just in March. When questioned he cooperated, but where necessary admitted he could not reply because of commercial reasons. Saying he could not reveal certain details did not amount to lying.
The minister quoted rulings since 1965 where successive Speakers ruled that using the word ‘lying’ was unacceptable. Insulting an MP outside the House on duties performing in the House also amounted to breach of privilege.
The minister was followed by Nationalist MP Kristy Debono and Parliamentary Secretary Deborah Schembri. Ms Debono said the commission paid to Henley on the sale of government stock was 18 times higher than the commission paid to licensed financial intermediaries.
Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi said the Speaker’s ruling was illogical because it had confused the facts and interpreted the law so that, in a creative way, he would be found guilty.
A clause on verbal insults against MPs had been interpreted as also applicable for tweets.
And in a first for Malta, his criticism of what the minister said in a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee in March was judged according to what the minister said at another PAC meeting, in June. It was like saying that somebody who stole a car in March but returned it in June would have done nothing wrong.
And even what the minister said in June was not what the Speaker thought he had said. Nowhere did the minister say that Henley was getting a 4% commission on the sale of government stock.
The minister had only confirmed payment of commission on application to the passport scheme. It was only through the regulator's report that it became known that Henley were being paid commissions on government stock.
The Speaker should have been the first to defend freedom of expression, not the other way around, Dr Azzopardi said.
Other speakers were Parliamentary Secretary Justyne Caruana and Economic Services Minister Chris Cardona. Dr Cardona said the funds from the IIP scheme are being used for the needy, including Puttinu Cares, and for social development. He said the IIP scheme had generated €331 million, of which €128 million went to the national fund for social development. Beneficiaries include Puttinu Cares, Angela House and the Community Chest Fund.
The Labour MPs also hit out at the PN and at blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia for reports on the ill-health of chief of staff Keith Schembri.
Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said the prime minister boasted of progress in civil liberties and then the minister broke the fundamental right of freedom of expression by initiating proceedings against Jason Azzopardi which could lead to prison. This was government hypocrisy.
And then the Speaker's ruling tried to gag an MP on something he said outside the House. This was unacceptable and the Opposition was warning the people - what was happening to Dr Azzopardi today could happen to journalists tomorrow, and then to the ordinary people.
A vote on the motion will be taken next week.