Economy Minister Chris Cardona told this paper he did not recall being a director of a company that owned a London property which was sublet by a tenant to a prostitution racket, together with PN leadership candidate Adrian Delia.

Asked if he was aware that the London property was being used for prostitution, Dr Cardona said he did not recall that at some point he was a director of this company, and for this reason he was carrying out his own verifications.

Dr Cardona declared that he had never received information, or in some manner was privy, that some company of which he was a director could have been involved in illegal activities.

On Tuesday, Malta Today published a document showing that both Dr Delia and Dr Cardona resigned as directors from the company Healey Properties in December 2003.

The document bore Dr Delia’s signature but not Dr Cardona’s.

It has to be appreciated that the matter related to legal services which dated back to 18 years ago

Contacted about the matter, Dr Cardona said it has to be appreciated that the matter related to legal services which dated back 18 years.

Dr Cardona said he therefore needed to carry out his own verifications before answering questions about his role in the company, in order to ensure his replies reflected the correct facts.

“Furthermore, at least from what has emerged in the media, it transpired that the documents that were published did not carry my signature, and according to Dr Adrian Delia, who signed the published document, the company in question was incorporated as a sole director company, with that director not being me,” Dr Cardona said.

READ: Councillors want me to 'seize the moment,' says Delia

Dr Delia has denied allegations by journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia that he was involved in the laundering of funds from the prostitution racket through a client account in his name.

Speaking to The Times of Malta on Friday, Dr Delia said he could not remember whether he had ever opened or closed such an account.

“I cannot exclude it completely”, he said. Asked if he had spoken to his client to jog his memory, Dr Delia said that his client had no recollection of such an account either.

He admitted that if such a client account had existed, he would have been legally responsible for it. He said he had not managed to trace the bank account in question and neither had the bank.

Asked if he was simply hedging his bets by saying he could not remember, Dr Delia said he was telling the truth.