Mario Camilleri, who was involved in what the Nationalist Party is describing as a “sleazy deal” for a €4.2 million bailout of Cafe Premier, said that he never gave money to the Labour Party but had made a donation to the Nationalist Party.
He has also denied that there was a pre-election deal reached with then Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat.
Speaking to a section of the media, Mr Camilleri said the only donation he made to a political party was one of €1,000 made to former PN leader Lawrencd Gonzi and former secretary general Paul Borg Olivier. He said he also contributed €1,000 to Francis Zammit Dimech’s campaign for the European Parliament.
Mr Camilleri co-owns Cities Entertainment, operators of Cafe Premier, together with Neville Curmi. The business was in great financial trouble with the company seeking a €2 million loan from Banif Bank. The two directors had fallen out and were seeking to sell their 50-year lease.
Mr Camilleri admitted meeting Joseph Muscat three times before the election, but said the Cafe Premier issue was never discussed. The only time he discussed Cafe Premier with Dr Muscat was after the election in a face-to-face meeting at Castille.
The first meeting was at the Labour Party headquarters soon after Dr Muscat became leader, the second meeting was when the two came across each other during a wedding and the third was a formal encounter arranged by Labour Mp Joe Sammut.
He said that he had approched the Nationalist administration with a similar offer to buy back the property. He said he was put in touch with then Tourism Minister Mario de Marco but the matter was never discussed because the election was close.
Mr Camilleri said there had also been an attmept for him to buy out his business partner at the time negotiations were taking place with the government. He said he had plans to transform the property into a wedding hall as the site had potential to be the only such venue in Malta, capable of catering for between 200 and 300 guests. The attempts failed.
The auditor general last week lambasted the government for the way the deal, which included a €210,000 brokerage fee paid to Mr Camilleri directly out of public funds, had been conducted, with the opposition saying that Dr Muscat had been personally involved in the matter. Mr Camilleri had refused a €3.9 million offer which was later increased to €4.2 million. He insists that the €210,000 paid to him was repayment of a shareholder's loan, not as a commission.