PN deputy leader Simon Busuttil said that the electorate has the right to know the PL’s position on the number of serious allegations made by former deputy leader Anglu Farrugia in a newspaper last Sunday.

Dr Farrugia was forced to resign by PL leader Joseph Muscat but following Dr Farrugia’s breaking of his media silence in an interview in a Sunday newspaper, Dr Muscat has opted not to comment on what Dr Farrugia said.

The Mosta lawyer claimed that he was the victim of a political assassination, and that Labour had grown too close with businessmen and contractors.

Asked during a press conference if he condemns the fact that the PN general secretary, Paul Borg Olivier, had gone on holiday on contractor Zaren Vassallo's yacht alongside Dr Borg Olivier’s predecessor Joe Saliba, Dr Busuttil replied: “It is up to them to comment however, personally, I would not have gone.”

Asked for a reaction on Finco managing director Paul Bonello’s addressing of Labour’s mass meeting last Sunday, when one of the PN's priorities is to win back the hearts of disgruntled PN supporters, Dr Busuttil said that Mr Bonello had every right to an opinion, adding that the authority (the Malta Financial Services Authority) had dealt with the issue professionally and is satisfied that there’s an authority that will always protect the banking system. 

During the mass meeting, Mr Bonello introduced himself by stating that he had never voted Labour in his life, let alone militate within it. However, he added, he was certain that he would vote Labour next March.

Finco had represented many investors, most of them elderly, who had lost out as a result of the La Vallette Multi-Manager Property Fund, which was managed by Bank of Valletta and subsidiaries.

Mr Bonello referred to his experiences as he explained why he trusted Dr Muscat over Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi. He recounted that Dr Muscat had evaluated the evidence and promised his full support, but that Dr Gonzi did otherwise, failing to act when the persons responsible for the fund received promotions with the blessing of the Malta Financial Services Authority.

Dr Busuttil pointed out that he had met Mr Bonello.