Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil should give a clear account of the "false invoices in return for donations", the PL said today.

"Despite that he cannot answer questions as this scandal begins and ends with him, he must give an account of the false invoices," Justice Minister Owen Bonnici and PL MP Charles Mangion said while addressing a press conference.

The two referred to Dr Busuttil's comments made following a trip to the University of Malta yesterday, arguing that Dr Busuttil has not yet confirmed, or denied, whether the company invoiced was Sky Gourmet. They also said that Dr Busuttil has yet to say whether there are others who are paying for PN wages, and that Dr Busuttil has confirmed there are invoices involving amounts higher than the maximum permissible donation.

"He is saying that the donations were published, yet nowhere was there information regarding donations exceeding €70,000.  He has also not said where the adverts the invoices were for appeared."

"The Opposition Leader is breaching party financing legislation, and because he has his back against the wall, is lying," Minister Bonnici said.

"When in a hole, stop digging," he said.

PL MP Charles Mangion said that while Dr Busuttil speaks of good governance, transparency and honesty, he went to ask entrepreneurs to pay for wages. 

 He said that the db Group stated that they do not have a commercial relationship with the PN, and asked Dr Busuttil to say what the adverts he claimed the payments were for

He argued that PN Treasurer Alex Perici Calascione did not know about them, and that PN Deputy Leader Mario de Marco said that these were donations.

PN responds:

In response, the PN said that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is a “hostage of corrupt deals made prior to the last election.”

“The easiest thing for the PN Leader to do due to the donations the party had received from db Group would have been to remain silent. However whoever does that is a corrupt politician. Simon Busuttil is the opposite of that, and spoke and acted in the interest of the Maltese and Gozitan people who are having land worth €200 million stolen from them for €15 million.”

 

“Simon Busuttil cannot be bought, and this case confirms his integrity.”