The Labour Party is challenging Nationalist Party Leader Simon Busuttil to order nine former ministers and parliamentary secretaries to return all the money they had received as honoraria in the last legislature.

In a statement, the PL said that Dr Busuttil has the opportunity to do so today when he addresses the PN general council.

Members of the PN Cabinet had returned to the government the increase in the honoraria as established in May 2008, but Labour is insisting that they should return it in full. The PN government had never pledged to do so - Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi had made it manifestly clear in a declaration in Parliament that only the increase would have been returned, which the PN did.

The PL mentioned Mario DeMarco, Chris Said, George Pullicino, Jason Azzopardi, Carm Mifsud Bonnici, Joe Cassar Giovanna Debono, Clyde Puli and Mario Galea as having retained €100,000 each.

Interestingly, the PL does not make a mention of other ministers who have since left the Cabinet, including former PM Lawrence Gonzi, and ministers Austin Gatt and Dolores Cristina.