Former Nationalist ministers and parliamentary secretaries re­f­unded close to 10 per cent of their income after the honoraria debacle, according to official figures.

The issue was raised again after Opposition leader Simon Busuttil’s speech following the Budget.

In it, he criticised the government, saying that instead of addressing MPs’ pay as its predecessor tried to do, it gave its MPs posts on government bodies.

Silvio Parnis was getting €42,000, Luciano Busuttil €45,000; Charles Buhagiar €50,000; Anthony Agius Decelis, €57,000, Carmelo Abela €60,000 and Silvio Schembri €65,000.

The Prime Minister retorted that former PN Cabinet members had not refunded the increase in their wages as promised. PN general secretary Chris Said has denied these claims.

Both parties have been accusing each other of lies, so The Sunday Times of Malta requested documents as proof of payments made.

Information tabled in Parliament shows that close to €300,000 had been paid back by PN ministers and parliamentary secretaries (see table). The Opposition is not contesting this figure – what is being contested is what should have been paid back.

The government is saying the PN should have paid back some €1.6 million – the allowances and honoraria paid to ministers and parliamentary secretaries.

But the PN is saying that was not what was promised. Former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi had declared in Parliament on January 19, 2011: “I, the ministers and parliamentary secretaries who had received the honorarium... will refund the difference between the honorarium before the change was made and that approved in May 2008.”

It transpired that Dr Gonzi was referring only to the increase in the honoraria itself – an additional 20 per cent of the government’s scale one salary that had been added to the honoraria before the decision had been approved.

The PN members have therefore refunded that additional increase on the honoraria and not the full honoraria payments. The Opposition says it has kept its word since the former prime minister never said the honoraria would be paid in full.

“Former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi had made a statement in Parliament in January 2011 during which he explained the increase in the honoraria was going to be given back.

Dr Gonzi had given a ministerial statement and not issued a press release, so that members of the Opposition could have put their questions.

“All that was promised to be returned was returned by March 2013. This has been refunded through a decrease from the wages of the prime minister, ministers and parliamentary secretaries,” the PN said.

The government said this was deceitful since the expectation was that all the honoraria would be paid in full.