Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia would not be drawn into saying whether he believed that fellow Nationalist MPs like Simon Busuttil, Jason Azzopardi and Karol Aquilina were working against him.

“You have to ask them,” he said in answer to a question by The Malta Independent at the end of his visit to Archbishop Charles Scicluna.

The three MPs, together with Chris Said who contested (and lost) the leadership race to Delia, were not present for Delia's first address to the party general council on Syunday.

Delia said that what is happening in the party is a chapter in the PN’s history, a chapter which is part of a process leading to several changes in the party. The leadership has changed, and two new deputy leaders will be elected shortly. Another change was the election of the new president of the party general council, Kristy Debono.

This period of renewal is positive and health for the Nationalist Party, he said, as this will lead to the strengthening of the party which will then be in a position to concentrate on its future.

Photograph Stef Mizzi

Delia said that he did not keep tabs on who attended the General Council yesterday. “Who attended and who didn’t... I didn’t keep check of their names,” he said.

Delia said that his statement, “I am here to stay” at the end of yesterday’s General Council speech, was meant generally in regards to himself. “I am making my position clear; I’m not someone who gives up. I am someone who is saying I am here to stay and I am here to work now and in the future for this party”.

Delia was also questioned on the controversial transfer of a property in Spinola, St Julian's, following a testimony at the Public Accounts Committee that former minister Jason Azzopardi was present in such negotiations. The property, which was valued as €2.4 million, was sold for €525,000 to the private sector.

Delia confirmed that he had not yet spoken to Azzopardi about the transfer, and stated that he was to speak to him tonight in order to gain Azzopardi’s version of the events. “First I need to listen to his version, before I make any decisions,” he noted.

Delia stated that the motion presented by Chris Said last week was not a challenge and that Said had shown the motion to Delia the day before he presented it to the Parliamentary group. On 31 October Said presented a private members’ bill in Parliament, signed by him only, for three former judges to be appointed to investigate allegations made by journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. 

Partit Demokratiku leader Anthony Buttigieg also met with Archbishop Scicluna.

Buttigieg said the two had had “a frank exchange of views on the evolving political situation and Partit Demokratiku’s role in the interest of national and public good."

“PD reiterates that politics is about service, not self-service. Christian values dictate the importance of good governance when it comes to opposing corruption and sharing wealth in a fair and just manner. We must treat our neighbours in the manner in which we ourselves want to be treated. This must be reflected in how we run our country,” the party said in a statement. 

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