Joseph Muscat relegated the Panama affair to a brief acknowledgement that it disappointed people “across the board” when addressing party supporters in Mgarr this morning.
At the tail end of his speech, which focused on tomorrow’s vote of no confidence in Parliament and government’s achievements, Dr Muscat said “what happened these weeks” – he avoided mentioning Panama – disappointed a lot of people and the government had to “correct it”.
The Prime Minister did not elaborate but insisted one way of addressing people’s concerns was by having a compact Labour parliamentary group tomorrow explain the work that still had to be done to improve people’s lives.
Dr Muscat took to task Opposition leader Simon Busuttil over a story that appeared in MaltaToday this morning, which revealed how Nationalist Party deputy leader Mario de Marco had works done on his property for free by a contractor embroiled in the Panama Papers scandal.
The newspaper said works worth €34,000 done in 2011 by Redmap Construction on Dr de Marco’s property were only paid after the Panama affair erupted last month when the PN deputy leader asked for an invoice.
Dr de Marco told MaltaToday the works were ongoing and the company had insisted an invoice be issued only when all construction work was completed.
We will see whether the words and protests will boil down to Simon Busuttil taking action today on those closest to him
However, Dr Muscat insisted the works were done for free at a time when Dr de Marco was a minister and asked whether Dr Busuttil would live up to his words and take action against his deputy leader for breaching the ministerial code of ethics.
Dr de Marco is a member in the Strickland Foundation, which is the major shareholder in Allied Newspapers (ANL), publishers of the Times of Malta.
Redmap Construction has carried out works at Allied's Mriehel property and was a partner in a company that bought Canberra House in Valletta from ANL.
In March, ANL's managing director Adrian Hillman resigned following allegations that the PM's chief of staff Keith Schembri paid him kickbacks for work given to Kasco Holdings, one of the companies he owned. Both men deny the allegations.
ANL has commissioned an inquiry into the matter.
“We will see whether the words and protests will boil down to him [Simon Busuttil] taking action today on those closest to him… what goes around, comes around,” Dr Muscat said.
With reference to the vote of no confidence, the Prime Minister said in an ironic tone that the Opposition leader was being honest when he said that he did not want an early election but simply a change in the country’s leadership.
“The Opposition leader has no plan how to govern this country that is why he does not want to govern. Tomorrow he has to tell people what he will be doing about the gas power station, the reduction in water and electricity bills, the Individual Investor Programme, the economy, the American university, and whether he will withdraw the VAT refund on car registration tax… whether he will stop works on a new Gozo hospital and the refurbishment of St Luke’s,” Dr Muscat said.
He added that on each of these issues the Opposition was either against or made no mention of in their electoral manifesto.
Dr Muscat said government MPs would be going to Parliament serenely and dispelled rumours that the party wanted supporters to turn up outside the House.
"Stay at home, watch us on television or else watch something else," he joked.
ANOTHER ATTEMPT BY THE PRIME MINISTER TO DIVERT ATTENTION - MARIO DE MARCO
In a reply, Dr de Marco said he was the owner of a property in respect of which refurbishment works started being carried out at around 2009.
"The place is uninhabited and the works are still not complete. Throughout the years, I have engaged various contractors to carry out the works on the property such as builders, plasterers, tilers, plumbers and electricians, soffit makers, door and aperture installers, etc and I have duly paid for all the works carried out.
"Redmap Ltd was commissioned in circa 2011 after the construction works on the property were completed. It was tasked to carry out minor interventional works on the property as and when needed in the course of the refurbishment works being carried out by other contractors. Works were carried out by Redmap Ltd interruptedly and sporadically over the period 2011 to 2015 and minor works are still pending for completion.
"Despite repeated requests to Redmap Ltd from both my wife and myself to issue an invoice on account for works, Redmap Ltd insisted that the invoice would be sent once the works on the property are complete. This year I again requested for the invoice to be sent. Redmap Ltd complied and in March sent an invoice for works amounting to just under €34,000 inclusive of VAT, which invoice I have fully paid up.
"At no stage were the ongoing works carried out by Redmap Ltd remotedly considered on my part to be a ‘gift’. Redmap Ltd was contracted to do work like other contractors, and like I do with other contractors I expected to pay it, which I did upon receipt of invoice.
"This is yet another attempt by Prime Minister Muscat to try and divert attention from the corruption allegations that are plaguing his government as a result of his gross mishandling of the Panama Papers scandal and other scandals that characterized this administration. Instead of resorting to feeble attempts of mudslinging, the Prime Minister should do what is obvious and expected of him that is sack Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri without any further delay," Dr de Marco said.
BUSINESSMAN MENTIONED IN PANAMA PAPERS LINKED TO DE MARCO, TIMES OF MALTA
In another statement, the Labour Party said people wanted to know why, if works which started in 2009 were not ready yet, did Dr de Marco feel the need to pay only after Mr Hillman resigned when no one questioned the works on his private properties?
"If, as Mario Demarco said, invoices were to be issued at the end of the works, and works were still ongoing now, why was an invoice issued exactly after the Hillman story came out?
"The deputy Opposition leader, who was a minister at the time, should be answering on the clear breach of ministerial ethics. The explanation he gives is simply not credible.
"There is now no doubt that the businessman in question mentioned in the Panama Papers is linked to deputy PN Opposition leader De Marco, and the top people in The Times of Malta," the PL said.