Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has said he will not rush to conclusions following reports that Opposition leader Adrian Delia is being investigated in connection with money laundering claims.
While insisting that he was not “privy” to information about the alleged investigation, the Prime Minister said he would wait for investigations to be concluded before pronouncing himself.
“Though I have the opportunity to turn tables on Dr Delia and rebut everything he said in the last two weeks, this is the time which distinguishes men from boys,” he said.
Dr Muscat was reacting to a story published in The Sunday Times of Malta which reported that Dr Delia was the subject of an ongoing police investigation. The probe had been triggered by a report, which the anti-money laundering agency (FIAU) had handed over to the police last March, the story says. The Nationalist Party leader has denied all wrongdoing.
Addressing a political activity in Senglea, the Prime Minister insisted he did not know of this investigation.
“I am not privy to it. In this country the rule of law applies, and it is not up to the Prime Minister to decide who is under investigation or for the police to inform me on who is under investigation,” he said.
“Regardless of the identity of the person being mentioned, or if they are a minister or the Opposition leader, the overriding principle is to let investigations and justice take their course before pronouncing yourself,” the Prime Minister said.
“I will wait for the outcome of the investigations and take it from there,” he said.
Dr Muscat noted that his approach was testament to his consistency in how to handle serious allegations.
“The problem lies on the Opposition side as they cannot adopt a separate yardstick for themselves,” he said.
Dr Muscat made this point in the wake of the incessant calls from Dr Delia and the PN for minister Konrad Mizzi and the Prime Minister’s top aide Keith Schembri to step down, following reports concerning Dubai-based company 17 Black.
The company was named as the intended source of €2 million to be deposited in secret Panama companies belonging to Dr Mizzi and Mr Schembri respectively. Both of them are denying any wrongdoing.
A joint investigation by the Times of Malta and Reuters revealed that 17 Black is owned by Tumas Group CEO and Electrogas consortium partner Yorgen Fenech. The consortium was chosen to build the new €450 million Delimara gas-fired power plant.
This prompted accusations from the Opposition that kickbacks had been paid in order to secure the contract - claims which were again in the headlines this week after the National Audit Office tabled a 500-page report into the powert station contract.
'Positive' NAO report
Dr Muscat dedicated a large part of his Sunday speech to the findings of this “positive” NAO report.
Branding suggestions that the power station deal had been reached when the Labour Party was still in Opposition “an invention”, he said that the report clearly stated that the shortcomings flagged had no bearing on the final outcome of the procurement process.
On the other hand, he lashed out at Dr Delia’s claim that the new power station project was costing an additional €200 million per year, saying such a conclusion did not make mathematical sense.
"If for argument’s sake one had to assume that each of the 250 megawatts being produced is costing €50 per hour as Dr Delia is saying, the yearly bill would be €90 million, which is less than half [his claim]," the Prime Minister noted.