PN Deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami told The Malta Independent that to his knowledge, Marco Gaffarena did not make any donations to the PN. But contacted for a comment, Mr Gaffarena, tersely said: “Beppe will soon remember and I have the documents to back up my claim.”
“I cannot recall that any donations were made by the Gaffarenas to the PN since I have held the post of PN deputy leader for party affairs,” Dr Fenech Adami said. He was appointed PN deputy leader on 26 May, 2013 – less than two months after the March general election. Dr Busuttil was appointed party leader on 4 May that same year.
Dr Fenech Adami said it is evident that the PN was not ‘bribed’ by the Gaffarenas in return for issuing a petrol station permit in the outskirts of Qormi. He also referred us to the party communications wing to verify what he said on the issue of donations.
A PN spokesman said that in the past two years, under the leadership of Simon Busuttil, the Nationalist Party received no donations from Joe or Marco Gaffarena. “We are still in the process of checking our earlier records,” a PN spokesman said when asked by this newsroom.
Contacted, Marco Gaffarena said that he did not want to comment when asked if he, or members of his family, gave donations to the PN. But when told that Dr Fenech Adami said he could not recall whether the Gaffarenas donated money to the PN, he replied laughing: “Don’t worry, Beppe will soon remember.”
When asked to present any relevant documents to this newsroom which may shed light on claims made by him, such as copies of receipts of donations made, Mr Gaffarena refused, but said that he had them in hand.
Gaffarena’s petrol station
The petrol station Dr Fenech Adami refers to was ordered to close twice due to flagrant development illegalities. It is now operational after the planning authority changed its policy and granted the owner three-year “temporary clearance” in March 2014.
Located on the outskirts of Qormi, the J. Gaffarena Service station was sealed off by Mepa officials in 2008 when the developer went beyond the approved planning permission obtained two years before for the construction of a petrol station.
After defying an enforcement order by the authority and opening for business, Mepa officials returned to the site in September 2009, sealing off its entrance and once again closing down the petrol station.
However, with the enforcement notice still in place for various illegal structures, at least until when the Gaffarena family had the permit issued – including an extra top floor – the petrol station reopened after Mepa granted “temporary clearance” for 36 months.
Beppe Fenech Adami does not exclude Joe Gaffarena advertised on Net television
Dr Fenech Adami did not exclude the fact that Joe Gaffarena – Marco’s father - did advertise on Net TV – the PN’s TV station. The General Workers’ Union newspaper it-Torca reported last Sunday that Dr Fenech Adami’s brother Michael was given, along with Net TV presenter and former PN director of information Frank Psaila, €1,500 in advertising for Net TV earlier this year by Joe Gaffarena.