The Malta Independent 25 April 2024, Thursday
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‘Who exactly is leading the PN?’ - PL says Delia has compromised authority and credibility

Tuesday, 31 July 2018, 15:12 Last update: about 7 years ago

The Labour Party have questioned who exactly is leading the Nationalist Party after its Leader Adrian Delia declared that no internal action will be launched against Simon Busuttil following the publication of the Egrant inquiry conclusions and that the situation between the pair had been resolved.

The inquiry found no evidence that the infamous Panama company belonged to the PM or his wife. After the report was published, Delia had stripped Busuttil of his good governance portfolio and invited him to suspend himself from the PN Parliamentary Group. Busuttil has refused. A number of MPs had publicly backed Busuttil in open revolt of Delia.

A series of meetings between the two warring factions, mediated by former PM Lawrence Gonzi and former Deputy PM Tonio Borg together with MEP Francis Zammit Dimech took place to remedy the situation.

Speaking at a press conference, MP Robert Abela said that after Delia repeatedly insisting that his decision was crucial to preserve the credibility of the PN, he decided to make a pact with his political adversary "to buy political peace within the party."

"Delia has signed a deal which is the beginning of the end of his role in the PN," Abela said, describing the situation as surreal.

"This shows that he does not have the authority of 28 people to implement his decisions," he continued.

PL Whip and MP Byron Camilleri said that the events showed that the PN was still under control of the establishment which ruled the party both under Gonzi and Busuttil.


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