Prime Minister Joseph Muscat denied having an official meeting a British Conservative MP who, it was reported in the British media, had offered to use his political contacts to set up business in a number of countries, including Malta.

Dr Muscat said the only time the two met was during a Joseph Calleja concert and their conversation was typical of an encounter at a social event.

Mark Pritchard was filmed with a hidden camera by a journalist working for The Telegraph while in Malta.

He boasted of helping business men invest in a number of countries, including Malta, in return for a consultancy fee of 3,000 pounds sterling a month plus three percent of the whole value of the deal on signing of the contract. According to the newspaper, Mr Pritchard’s trip to Malta is thought to have been funded by taxpayer money.

The MP sits on a number of official parliamentary groups for a number of countries. Parliamentary rules ban MPs from seeking  to profit from their positions and warns politicians to avoid any potential conflict of interest.

In The Telegraph video, Mr Pritchard tells the undercover reporter, posing as a foreign business man, that he should invest millions in a hotel in Albania. The MP sits on the All Party Parliamentary Group for the country. He also boasted of knowing the Prime Minister, the mayor and the Speaker.

In another part of the video Mr Pritchard offers to invite the reporter to dinner with the Prime Minister of Malta. He tells the reporter that the Maltese Prime Minister and “investment people” from Malta would be visiting the UK and he could organize a dinner.

The Telegraph reports that Mr Pritchard had visited Malta on an official parliamentary trip in July. “The MP stayed on the island for five days and met members of the new government with another Tory politician. However, when he attended functions, Mr Pritchard handed out his consultancy cards.”

ITV news has reported that the MP has denied the claims and has asked the parliamentary standards watchdog to investigate.

Read the Telegraph story here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/10429206/Senior-Conservative-MP-uses-political-contacts-to-further-business-empire.html