Konrad Mizzi’s political future rests with the Prime Minister after the Energy Minister yesterday acknowledged public anger over the Panama affair.

“I am ready to accept any decision the Prime Minister may take,” Dr Mizzi told Labour Party delegates in his maiden speech as deputy leader, paving the way for what may be his removal from Cabinet.

“Whatever my future holds, whether as deputy leader or not, as minister or not, rest assured I will be on the frontline of the party in the 2018 election as I was in 2013,” he told delegates.

His statements came on the back of the Opposition’s decision yesterday to file a motion of no confidence in the government, reeling under the fallout of the Panama Papers scandal. The government said it wanted the motion to be discussed next week.

Taking the podium at the general conference after two-and-a-half hours during which the word Panama was not mentioned once, Dr Mizzi acknowledged it was “the elephant in the room”.

Speaking in an uncharacteristically serene tone, a visibly humbled Dr Mizzi asked a packed hall of delegates not to disrupt him with applause since he wanted to make things clear. Delegates had on several occasions given a standing ovation each time somebody else mentioned his name.

“I have an internal conflict on the Panama Papers because I know I have done nothing wrong but at the same time I see people out there who are angry and I cannot ignore that,” he said.

Dr Mizzi said the whole affair angered him because after all the hard work he had put in to change things in the energy and health sectors, people were talking about Panama.

“I am angry… instead of celebrating this government’s successes people are talking about the Panama Papers,” he said, adding he understood how delegates must have felt after waiting for so long to see the Labour Party in government.

The groundwork had been laid hours earlier when Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told the Times of Malta that nothing was excluded when deciding on the future of Dr Mizzi and his chief of staff Keith Schembri.

The two men are embroiled in the Panama Papers scandal after it became known they had opened companies in the secretive jurisdiction of Panama last year.

Dr Muscat had until Wednesday defended both men to the hilt, insisting any decisions he may make would be based on the findings of independent audits. However, in a hastily organised interview on One TV on Wednesday evening, Dr Muscat acknowledged public anger and said he would have to take that sentiment into consideration.

The Energy Minister yesterday continued to defend his personal financial choices, insisting he would not have put his children’s names to the New Zealand trust had he wanted to carry out wrongdoing.

Dr Mizzi and Mr Schembri set up New Zealand trusts last year. The respective trusts then acquired shell companies in Panama. Attempts to open accounts in Dubai and Panama failed after the banks refused to comply.

Dr Mizzi yesterday insisted he had no bank accounts but had informed the Prime Minister of the intention to have one to deposit rental income from a London property that was going to be transferred to the Panama company.

“I did this for my family… all I have was acquired through hard work and have never benefitted from corruption,” Dr Mizzi said, insisting he did not have bad intentions.

He added that the two audits currently underway – an independent audit by an international firm and a tax audit by the Tax Commissioner – would find no wrongdoing.

“Opposition leader Simon Busuttil is measuring us by his own yardstick when he alleges that I took millions from the contracts signed in the energy sector… the €300 million investment in Enemalta I negotiated for the benefit of the people,” he said to applause as he motioned to the crowd to keep quiet.

Dr Mizzi closed his speech by urging delegates to remain united and not fall for provocation.

“This is 2016 not the eighties… we have to look to the future,” he said, adding that he was at peace with himself.

As he walked off the podium, he was warmly embraced by Dr Muscat and Deputy Prime Minister Louis Grech.

In what was possibly the most direct speech of the evening, former deputy leader Toni Abela spoke of the hard decisions he had to take as deputy leader when the party was still in Opposition.

Taking to the podium just before his successor, Dr Abela said the toughest decisions he had to take were against those he considered friends.

“We were strengthened by these decisions that were taken out of love for the party… this is not an easy moment for the Labour Party and decisions have to be taken,” Dr Abela said, adding that whatever action was taken would lead to a Labour victory at the polls in the next election.

The Prime Minister will be closing the general conference on Sunday, the same day the PN is holding its second anti-corruption protest in Valletta.

kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com