It is amazing how Labour consistently applies the principle of mudslinging as the tool for political confrontation of its adversary, irrespective of the facts presented, and seems more intent merely to influence public perception by whatever means rather than assess the facts and pursue the truth.

Labour continues to endlessly try to mudsling me with silly stories that clearly hold no logic

The facts that were presented in the case I have instituted in court against Evarist Bartolo and Chris Cardona last Thursday clearly portray a far different picture than the press statement issued by the Labour Party on that same date in the evening, a press statement which clearly had the intent of not reporting the truth but rather to selectively reinterpret what was said in the court to imply a ‘connection’ to the oil scandal that so evidently never existed.

What was the original allegation made by Labour during the heat of the electoral campaign? The allegation was very clear and unequivocal, namely that upon my immediate appointment as minister responsible for energy, I received a Maltese clock worth more than €5,000 from George Farrugia, the person granted a presidential pardon to bring out all the facts surrounding the oil scandal. Clearly, the Labour Party’s intent was to damage my reputation at a critical point in the electoral campaign, being the person used by the Nationalist Party to spearhead the attack on Labour on a number of issues.

The facts that emerged in court through the deposition under oath of former police commissioner John Rizzo, George Farrugia, and Ray and Ines Farrugia portray a completely different story.

The former police commissioner unequivocally declared in court that the police had investigated the case and found “no link to corruption”. In fact, he went on to say that clearly the clock was simply a gift.

George Farrugia, who is the person supposedly to have corrupted me, clearly stated in court that he had never met me before the incident and met me for the first time when his brother Ray Farrugia asked him one fine morning to accompany him in delivering a clock made by his wife for me.

George Farrugia clearly stated that he got to know of the intention of his brother and wife to give me a clock during the conversation in the car on the way to my house.

Clearly, the gift was not from George Farrugia but from his brother Ray Farrugia and his wife.

Also, George Farrugia states that at that point, Ray Farrugia asked him to charge the costs to Powerplan Ltd (a family company), which amounted to some €400 to €500. That the costs were charged to Powerplan was never brought to my attention, as clearly I would not have accepted the gift.

Ray Farrugia stated clearly that when I was given the gift they had also given two similar clocks to the PN around the same time. This clearly indicates that not only was the clock not given to me when I became minister responsible for energy but I was not even a minister, as in 2007 when the PN received the clock I was still a parliamentary secretary responsible for finance.

When it comes to the value of the gift, as Ines Farrugia elaborated in her testimony, to buy a similar Maltese clock (since this was not an antique but a replica) would have cost some Lm400 to Lm500. She also declared that it cost her Lm200 to buy the material required, collaborating the claim that Powerplan was charged the costs incurred of some €400 to €500 in George Farrugia’s testimony. Clearly, nothing to do with the €5,000 the Labour Party claimed.

She also said that she makes various crafts, and producing clocks is only one of them, and that usually she gives the things she does to relatives and friends for free.

So where is my fault?

For Labour, it is because the costs were for some reason charged to Powerplan, which the latest press statement issued by the Labour Party implied them to be the company at the centre of the oil scandal. Again, Labour spin. It was not Powerplan Ltd but Aikon Ltd that was allegedly involved in the illegal commissions and corruption. In fact, the other Farrugia brothers through Powerplan had engaged, among others, the then lawyer Manuel Mallia (today a Labour minister) to protect their interests against the acts of their brother George Farrugia and the company he used, namely Aikon Ltd. I hope Labour is not implying that Dr Mallia was engaged by a corrupt company, as in a press conference he defended the integrity of Ray Farrugia and Ines Farrugia.

Did she admire me or did she not is therefore where Labour claimed I lied. When Ines Farrugia was asked whether she admires anyone she stated that she admired her husband and her family: how normal. Does this make me a liar?

The fact remains that when the gift was presented to me it was presented to me as gift from Ines Farrugia with no other motivation other than that she and her husband wanted to give me a gift.

When in the electoral campaign I was asked whether I considered this to be strange I said “No” because I felt that they were genuinely giving me the gift because of their appreciation of my contribution in politics.

Labour continues to endlessly try to mudsling me with silly stories that clearly hold no logic.

There was no link to corruption and I was not even the minister responsible for energy when the gift was given to me. Also, the gift cost no more than €400 to €500 and not €5,000 as Labour had alleged. More importantly it was not even given to me by George Farrugia.

Frankly, I would have thought that Bartolo and Cardona would consider making an apology for damaging my reputation with their ill-informed but damaging allegations, rather than allow their party to sink them further in this mud.

Tonio Fenech is the Nationalist Party’s spokesman on finance.