The good governance platform Simon Busuttil has built over the past four years crumbled last weekend, Health Minister Chris Fearne said.

He was referring to revelations that the db Group, a private firm, helped finance the salaries of the Nationalist Party’s general secretary and CEO.

Sitting alongside Civil Liberties Minister Helena Dalli, the pair upped the Labour Party’s ante on the Opposition leader in a press conference at party headquarters.

Mr Fearne appealed to people not to put all politicians in the same league as Dr Busuttil. The minister said the Opposition leader deluded those who had believed his good governance mantra.

When it was pointed out that this was rich, coming from somebody who shares Cabinet with a minister involved in the Panama Papers scandal, Mr Fearne said Konrad Mizzi had submitted his financial affairs to an audit.

“I invite [PN deputy leader] Beppe Fenech Adami to do the same about his personal finances following the Capital One case,” Mr Fearne rebutted.

He insisted it was not normal to have party officials paid by a private company and the country deserved better. “There are honest politicians on all sides and not all are like Simon Busuttil.”

He asked whether there were other wages in the PN financed by private companies.

Dr Dalli said the way in which PN officials were paid, exposed the Opposition leader as being part of the old regime that was rejected wholeheartedly by the electorate in the last election.

“Simon Busuttil tried to paint himself as an honest person while all along he was cavorting with private businesses to get them to pay his officials’ salaries; he is a false person,” Dr Dalli said.

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