PN MP and former Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono has tendered her resignation from the Nationalist Party but will remain an independent Member of Parliament, PN Leader Simon Busuttil said today.

The announcement was made at a press conference shortly after Mrs Debono’s husband, Anthony Debono, was arraigned in court where he pleaded not guilty to charges in connection with the works for votes allegations.

Dr Busuttil also announced that he has asked Gozo MP Chris Said not to seek reelection as PN Secretary General in order to be able to help the party restore its trust in Gozo. The PN has suffered the second blow in the space of a month in Gozo after seeing its support continue to erode in April’s local council elections.

He said from the start that he would wait for the outcome of the police investigation. Now that it has been concluded he is taking action.

He held a meeting with Giovanna Debono to hear her side of the story. Following the meeting he received her resignation letter, from the PN and Parliamentary group, to be able to defend herself. "I accepted her resignation from both the PN and parliamentary group. She will now be an independent MP."

Dr Busuttil said he was sorry to accept because Mrs Debono served the party and the country, particularly Gozo, well. The investigation is not about her but her husband. However, because she was minister at the time, her position as MP is untenable until the whole thing is over. 

The local council result was not what the PN wished for. In the past few days he listened to many who think the party lacks presence in Gozo. "I took this message on board and I am ready to take any decision that will lead to a stronger PN in Gozo. 

He said he has asked Chris Said to leave his role to focus exclusively on Gozo. 

"I want Gozo to once again become a PN fortress and for Gozitans to believe that the PN is their natural home. Chris Said has accepted with humility. When his term is over at the end of this month he will not contest the post again."

Dr Busuttil thanked Dr Said for the work he has done within the PN. The party has made giant leaps forward with him as Secretary General, including the positive local council result. 

Dr Busuttil said he wanted to send out a clear message. "When I said I wanted a new style of politics based on honesty I was serious. People expect the highest of standards from politicians and that is what I am striving to do. I am changing the way politics are done in Malta."

Answering questions, Dr Busuttil said Frederick Azzopardi and Giovanna Debono had already said they would not seek reelection and Chris Said was spending too much time in Malta. "This was creating a void in Gozo. I felt I had to take drastic measures in Gozo. The most clear and obvious choice was to ask our main Gozo MP to focus his strength on Gozo. I expect Chris to make the PN the natural home of Gozitans."  

Asked if he had asked Mrs Debono to resign, the Opposition Leader said following the meeting he had with Mrs Debono she immediately sent her resignation. "It is up to you to come to the conclusion."

Asked if the move was connected to Chris Said allegedly having known about the Gozo case, Dr Busuttul said the PN secretary general is not part of the problem but part of the solution. 

"I am ready to deal with any case that might end up before me," Dr Busuttil said, accusing the Prime Minister of using a different yardstick when it came to people from the Labour camp. He mentioned the 'blatant abuse' case where Manuel Mallia approved citizenship for his wife, Sai Mizzi's job, Joe Mizzi meeting tenderers in Spain, Luciano Busuttil's conflict of interest, as declared by a court, Helena Dalli's farmhouse, Ian Borg's MEPA permit to build on sensitive land, the allegations against Anton Refalo, which are similar to those against Giovanna Debono's husband. And the PM himself, who was involved in the Cafe Premier scandal. No action has been taken. "Our yardsticks are different. My standards are different to those of the PM."

Dr Busuttil said he believed that everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty and that he would always let the court do their work.

Asked by this paper if regaining votes in Gozo was more important than having Chris Said as a Secretary General Dr Busuttil said: "Both are important, that is why this is a difficult decision. Chris Said is now one of two PN MPs from Gozo. It is obvious, logical that he is part of our solution for Gozo." 

Giovanna Debono has categorically denied that she was personally involved in anything and she also defended her husband's integrity. She has repeated her position today. 

Dr Busuttil said he had faith in the police but expected them to also take action on similar cases that have happened after the general election or are happening now. The PM, he said, has remained silent on these allegations, and so have the police. "I expect the law to be the same for everyone."

PL statement

In a statement, the Labour Party said that all attention is now on Simon Busuttil who had met the whistleblower two years ago, yet did nothing about the works for votes case.

The PL said Dr Busuttil chose to defend Giovanna Debono and also said today that he accepted her resignation ‘regretfully’.

The PL said that not only did Dr Busuttil not take action, but he was covering his own back.

In addition, the PL said, PN secretary general Chris Said knew about the allegations through emails he had received more than a year ago. If it were not for the Whistleblower Act, Simon Busuttil would have chose to keep the case secret, said the PL.

 

The PL also said that the decision to stop Dr Said from contesting the post of secretary general was a symptom of the panic that the PN now found itself in since the drubbing at the polls in the local council elections.