While refraining to make direct reference to his controversial call on his predecessor, Simon Busuttil, to suspend himself from the parliamentary group in the wake of the publication of the Egrant inquiry conclusions, Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia said his decision was taken in the national interest.
“This week I took difficult decisions and was fully aware there would be consequences. However, since we place the common good and the country’s interests first rather than any personal considerations, I opted to take those decisions,” he said.
He noted that Finance Minister Edward Scicluna, Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi and the Prime Minister’s top aide Keith Schembri had, on the other hand, not not shouldered their responsibility.
Dr Delia made this remark during a 15-minute interview broadcast on the party’s radio station on Sunday. He dwelled on this subject and the damning conclusions of the recent European Banking Authority report on the government’s anti-money laundering agency (FIAU).
The PN leader noted that the Egrant inquiry dealt with matters of national interest and was presided by a magistrate whose integrity was never put in question.
He added he requested the full report just a day after the findings were published, but the Attorney General’s refusal prompted him to institute legal proceedings against him.
“If the AG will not uphold the request this bias will continue, he said. Dr Delia noted that this report dealt with an issue “which determined the result of a general election”.
“We will not allow institutions to be hijacked by the government,” he added.
The PN leader said he could not understand how the Prime Minister adopted a different yardstick on the ownership of secret Panama companies. What is wrong for himself should be wrong for others like Mr Schembri and Dr Mizzi, he remarked.
He questioned why Joseph Muscat celebrated the fact that there was no evidence that his wife owned a secret company, when at the same time both Mr Schembri and Dr Mizzi admitted to having one such structure but never shouldered responsibility.
The Opposition leader warned that Malta’s reputation had been tarnished and the PN would keep piling the pressure for everybody to shoulder responsibility.
Dr Delia also referred to the recent European Banking Authority which found that the FIAU breached money-laundering laws. He said Prof. Scicluna was trying to discredit the report rather than shoulder responsibility.
“We either use the same yardstick every time or adopt a two weights two measures approach. This is symptomatic of a totalitarian government,” the PN leader said.
Dr Delia expressed concern about Malta’s delay in the implementation of the money laundering directive saying that such procrastination, which he claimed was due to the government’s attempt to protect a handful of people close to the Prime Minister was putting at risk the country’s financial services sector.
If the government kept dragging its feet, this might lead to Malta being taken to court by the EU. This would be a serious blow for the country, he warned.