PN leadership contender today said that a respectable auditing firm was conducting an audit of his assets and the report will be published once it is concluded.

Delia was addressing PN councilors and tesserati at the St Paul’s Bay PN club.

Yesterday, blogger and journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia reported that a development company in which Delia holds a 9% share, owes €7 million to a bank after taking out a loan some years back.

The bank recently enforced a declaration of debt on the company. Delia had previously said he would publish his declaration of assets only after he was elected PN leader.

But today he said the audit would be published as soon as it was finished.

He insisted that there were “hidden interests” by those who wanted to harm the Nationalist Party and him personally by trying to get him out of the race.

“The wave in favour of a ‘New way’ for the PN is worrying our adversaries, who are trying to do all they can to create infighting. I want to unite the party so that it can become a force for workers and for all people,” Delia said.

Asked if he was willing to work with everyone in the PN if he were to be elected as leader, Delia said the party had many people of goodwill who wished to be heard and these should be allowed to contribute. “Once this process is over we have to unite under one leader and work to win the election.”