Labour Leader Joseph Muscat yesterday said the oil commissions scandal had “disgusted” people irrespective of their political creed.
Speaking in Gżira, he dwelt at length on the scandal, also eliciting applause when he said it was difficult in this day and age to forget a Swiss bank account.
The reference was to a bank account held by Transport Minister Austin Gatt that was not declared in his assets as part of the annual declaration made by ministers. Dr Gatt has admitted it was an oversight and explained he had inherited the account from his parents. He then passed on details of the account to the police.
Dr Muscat reiterated his party’s commitment to introduce a Whistleblower Act and remove the time-bar on corruption for politicians.
The Labour leader also referred to a Finance Ministry statement that a tax investigation into a company belonging to a man at the heart of the scandal, oil trader George Farrugia, was instigated by information passed on by the security service in 2011.
Mr Muscat said he was dumbfounded the Finance Minister had brushed aside the tip-off and chose to pass on the investigation to the Tax Compliance Unit, which he described as “a bureaucratic procedure”.
He was speaking before Finance Minister Tonio Fenech’s press conference later in which he explained that he did not know of the information received by his ministry from the security service and only learnt of the tax investigation a few days ago.
On a different note, Dr Muscat was asked about the movement he had created and whether people joined it solely because of him.
The Labour leader said veteran Labourites were asked to make sacrifices and open up the party to people who were never close to it.
“The concept of a movement was difficult to accept by the party grassroots but it is thanks to them that we are here today because they made room for others, they did not sulk,” he explained, saying that the Labour Party was a vehicle that carried forward a much bigger movement.
He was being interviewed by TV presenters Simone Cini and Robert Musumeci under the tent, which was well-attended.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com