A newly-created civil society group used its first public appearance to call for the Prime Minister and two of his closest aides to resign on Wednesday.

Founding members of Repubblika announced the organisation last weekend and on Wednesday stood outside the Office of the Prime Minister and read out a statement calling for Joseph Muscat, minister Konrad Mizzi and chief of staff Keith Schembri to step aside.

The group, which describes itself as a constitutional rights pressure group, accused the latter two of having been “bribed to grant the Electrogas power station contract” and said that revelations concerning Dubai company 17 Black were unequivocal and left Dr Mizzi and Mr Schembri without a leg to stand on.

“There is no scope to investigate 17 Black unless it is for the police to detain and arraign Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri, as well as [17 Black owner and power station director] Yorgen Fenech and possibly other persons, and charge them with corruption and money laundering,” the group said in a statement.

The group said that Dr Muscat was shielding his underlings and in doing so obstructing justice.

“Joseph Muscat’s behaviour makes his own position untenable. He himself is abusing his own power and amputating justice”.

The group took a single question from journalists, saying that they were not affiliated to the Nationalist Party and that it did not matter that there were already plenty of civil society groups with similar mission statements, and then ended the event.

In a statement, fellow protest group Occupy Justice endorsed Repubblika's calls for the Prime Minister to step down. 

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