Sliema mayor Nikki Dimech was yesterday dismissed from the Nationalist Party after refusing to resign, following his release of a police statement the previous day admitting he solicited commissions from a contractor.
PN general secretary Paul Borg Olivier gave Mr Dimech until noon yesterday to resign from the party but the young mayor was not forthcoming and Dr Borg Olivier dismissed him, saying the party expected high ethical standards from anyone elected on its ticket.
Mr Dimech called Dr Borg Olivier late on Wednesday, after having been released from the police depot following his interrogation. Dr Borg Olivier told him his position within the party and also as a mayor and councillor had become “untenable” and that he was expecting him to resign from the party.
In a letter to Mr Dimech, the PN secretary general informed him that, in the absence of a resignation, the party had no option but to dismiss him from all its internal structures and was expecting him to resign as mayor and councillor.
However, the resignation from the council is entirely in Mr Dimech’s hands since, according to law, political parties cannot interfere with official council business.
Mr Dimech spent six hours in police custody on Wednesday during which he confessed to soliciting a commission from a contractor in return for his appointment as the council’s contracts manager.
The issue came to light after the contractor’s contract was terminated after six months. The contractor told the police he was sacked after he refused to pay the commission. But police sources said Mr Dimech denied ever actually receiving any commission from the contractor.
The 33-year-old accountant and auditor was elected to the post at the last council elections in the PN stronghold, after having been backed by PN MP Robert Arrigo, whose wife Marina opted not to re-contest the election.
But the Sliema council has been at the centre of attention of the Internal Audit and Investigations Department within the Prime Minister’s office which is looking into allegations of mismanagement of public funds.
One particular project being investigated is the extension of a tender to install fairy lights on every tree along the Sliema promenade. This project was Mr Dimech’s brainchild after he had seen something similar abroad.
Mr Dimech was meant to appear before the IAID yesterday after missing Wednesday’s appointment which he could not keep as he was being interrogated by the police. It is still unclear whether he turned up for yesterday’s appointment. He did not answer any of the calls and text messages sent on his mobile throughout the day.
In the space of just a week, the PN lost mayors in two of its strongholds – Sliema and Santa Venera. Former Sta Venera mayor Elizabeth Vella resigned last week after admitting to breaching councils’ financial regulations despite not pocketing any money herself.
Clarification: Contrary to what was reported yesterday, the Police Economic Crimes Unit did not summon any former employees of the Sliema council on Wednesday as part of its investigation into financial irregularities.