Both the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party insist that none of their employees are paid by third party or private businesses and individuals.
The Nationalist Party sent in their answer to questions by The Malta Independent after an earlier report saying they had failed to provide answers was published in print.
The Labour Party and the Nationalist Party were replying to questions in the wake of claims that the salaries of PN secretary general Rosette Thake and CEO of the party Brian St John were being paid by the db Group. The company belongs to hotelier Silvio Debono.
The claim by Mr Debono was ‘categorically denied’ by the Nationalist Party which explained that db Group had only donated some €3,500 in 2016.
The marathon of press conferences and statements from both parties and the company in question kicked off when it was revealed that the legal firm Guido de Marco & Associates renounced its brief as advisors to db Group on the ITS project following the launch of the controversial St Georges Bay project.
PN Deputy Leader Mario de Marco, who is also a partner with the de Marco law firm, was made an easy target for the government after he denied any involvement in the negotiations with db Group for the acquisition of land in St Georges Bay.
The Nationalist Party, together with a number of environmental NGOs, was highly critical of the way the company had acquired the land in question. Db Group was given the government’s green light to develop a €300 million hotel with an accession of €60 million. This one particular price tag raised eyebrows and angered the Opposition and NGOs who insisted that the price paid for public land was too low. The PN leader later also claimed that the actual price paid for was €15 million.
While raising money for the party in an event held on Sunday Dr Busuttil announced that earlier that day, following a statement that the PN will ask the Auditor General to look into the contract, Dr Busuttil received a message from the db CEO Arthur Gauci asking to be given back the money the company gave to the PN in donations. The db Group retaliated with its own statement that the company is paying for the salaries of the two high ranking PN officials, a claim the PN denied.