Aditus Foundation today accused election candidates of approaching voters with food or drink hampers when campaigning for votes, claiming such actions as being in breach of the law and an offence of ‘treating’.

The law says that: “54.(1)  Any person who corruptly by himself or by any other person, either before, during or after an election, directly or indirectly, gives or provides, or pays wholly or in part the expense of giving or providing any food, drink, entertainment, or provision to or for any person, for the purpose of corruptly influencing that person or any other person to give or refrain from giving his vote atthe election, or on account of such person or any other personhaving voted or refrained from voting or being about to vote orrefrain from voting at such election, shall be guilty of the offenceof treating.

(2)  Every voter who corruptly accepts or takes any such food,drink, entertainment, or provision shall also be guilty of the offenceof treating.”

On Thursday, Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil said that Labour candidates Chris Fearne and Konrad Mizzi are offering food and drink. He said Minister Chris Fearne has been distributing bags of oranges while Minster Konrad Mizzi distributed bottles of red wine, with a picture of the minster himself as the label of the wine bottle.

The Aditus Foundation stressed in their statement that if voters are offered food and drink they should report the matter to the police.