Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said today that the Labour Party will continue to accept donations from Tumas Group – and anyone else for that matter – so long as they are within regulations.
Muscat was questioned by reporters after news reports showed that Yorgen Fenech, Tumas Group CEO, is the owner of 17 Black, a company set up in Dubai.
Tumas Group is one of the partners in the Electrogas power station. The power station had been pushed by Konrad Mizzi back when he was Energy Minister.
17 Black was listed as the 'Main Client' and 'Possible Payer/Sender' of Tillgate and Hearnville, the offshore Panamian companies owned by OPM Chief of Staff Keith Schembri and Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi, leaked emails obtained by German paper Süddeutsche Zeitung revealed.
Muscat insisted that the Labour Party always declared and published any donation that came their way.
“We conform with the financing laws for political parties, and if we see that there are donations that we should accept, they will be declared and everyone will know about them.”
When taking questions from the media, the Prime Minister did not say whether he questioned his chief of staff Keith Schembri about the ownership of 17 Black.
He also added that he would resign if any investigations into the company 17 Black implicated him in any wrongdoing.
Muscat went on to say that he was informed that Schembri always shared the information asked of him from the authorities, which is why he would wait for the results of the inquiry and investigations that have taken place.
When asked why he wouldn’t drop the appeal he had presented against the inquiry, to expedite the process, he retorted that it was Simon Busuttil that lengthened the system of the inquiry because he did not like the magistrate that would be hearing the case.
“My appeal is not against the inquiry; my appeal was done because I am being named in something that I have nothing to do with.”
When queried on Schembri’s and Mizzi’s version of events, Muscat said that whaat he believed was irrelevant, and that those investigating have to believe them.
Brexit
Following yesterdays revelations of a draft agreement being met between the British Government and the European Union, Muscat said that he would not speculate on what will or will not happen as the ball is firmly in the court of the British Parliament.
“It is inappropriate for me to do that; it is not my job to do that.”
He also added that from Malta’s side there is the will to get the deal that Brexit EU Chief negotiator Michel Barnier worked on endorsed on the 25th, and he says that he also sees the will to get this done from the side of the EU.
Muscat 2 from The Malta Independent on Vimeo.