Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil has stood by his deputy Beppe Fenech Adami, saying the latter was being framed by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.

Dr Busuttil said his deputy had been cleared of wrongdoing by an inquiry made up of three former judges.

"Why should he be removed when the inquiry found nothing wrong? I will not take steps against someone who is being framed by Joseph Muscat," Dr Busuttil said when asked why, using the same yardstick he used when criticising the Labour government, he had not sought Dr Fenech Adami's resignation.

Dr Fenech Adami was the director of a firm subjected to a money-laundering inquiry which stopped abruptly. A judicial inquiry confirmed this, but did not establish whether the inquiry ended as a result of the PN deputy's name cropping up.  

Dr Muscat subsequently sent the inquiry report to the FIAU and police for further investigation, and during yesterday's Xarabank debate claimed that parts of the classified report linked Dr Fenech Adami to "money laundering in relation to drug trafficking."  

LNG tanker claims

Answering journalists' questions in Attard, Dr Busuttil also challenged the FIAU to publish an alleged report linking the owners of the LNG tanker in Marsaxlokk to a company tied to Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri. 

"If they do not, I promise to publish it the moment I take the oath to be made Prime Minister," Dr Busuttil said. 

Dr Busuttil made reference to claims linking Dr Mizzi and Mr Schembri to LNG tanker kickbacks. Photo: Conrad Micallef

The Malta Independent has claimed that an incomplete 120-page FIAU report noted two attempts to transfer funds between Orion Engineering group and Dubai-based 17 Black. 

Dr Mizzi and Mr Schembri have denied involvement and the FIAU said there was no "conclusive report" or "conclusions as alleged" by the newspaper report. 

He said a PN government would investigate each and every contract Dr Mizzi and Mr Schembri were involved in, "because we do not trust them." 

Mario de Marco claims

The PN leader also defended his other deputy, Mario de Marco, after the Prime Minister yesterday said he [de Marco] "has a company in Cyprus."

"Dr de Marco is the director of a company in Cyprus, not its owner. And this is clearly stated in his declaration of assets," the PN leader said. 

Furthermore, Dr Busuttil said, Dr de Marco had nothing to do with suspicious transactions between Mr Schembri and former Allied Group managing director Adrian Hillman. 

"He was shocked when the news first emerged, he made it clear he had nothing to do with it, and he doesn't feature in any of the transactions," Dr Busuttil said.