Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said today that all PL officials were on the government payroll.

Addressing a political event in Paola, Dr Busuttil said it was pretty rich of Labour to criticise the PN for receiving donations from individuals, when all of the PL’s officials were on the government payroll.

Dr Busuttil said former PL deputy leader Toni Abela received close to €100,000 from the government, executive secretary Lydia Abela received €90,000 and CEO Gino Cauchi had a full-time job as Castille for an undisclosed pay.

The PN leader said the majority of donations received by the party last year were of €50 or less.

He said the PL was breaking the party financing law by not publishing its list of donations.

The PL was not even registered as a political party, Dr Busuttil said, meaning that if an election were to be held tomorrow it would not even be able to contest.

He said the PN had not broken any laws as all donations received had been within the permitted limits.

The PN was willing to change the system and move towards a model of state-financing of political parties, Dr Busuttil said.

This would avoid parties having to feel obliged to their donors, Dr Busuttil said.

Explaining his decision to reveal an SMS he received from the db Group asking for their donations back, Dr Busuttil said he felt obliged to show that he was being threatened and blackmailed.

Read: Dr Busuttil's interview in The Sunday Times of Malta

He said he could have easily taken the easy way out by keeping the SMS under wraps and having a quiet word with db Group behind closed doors.

Dr Busuttil said he instead chose to make it clear that he could not be bought.

He said the PN had set up an independent commission led by Judge Giovanni Bonello to look into the issue of party financing.

Dr Busuttil said he was open to the prospect of a “fairer” pay for politicians to free them of the temptation of kowtowing to donors.

He warned that the government would do absolutely everything possible to remain in power to avoid a proper investigation of the Panama affair.

Dr Busuttil said that Konrad Mizzi’s involvement in any deal naturally raised suspicions, as he had “no integrity”.

Only a change in government would allow politics to be cleaned up, he said. 

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