Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil this morning hit out at the government for the deals it made prior to the election, which have led to a series of scandals being revealed in the past two years. Public appointments, property expropriation and contracts are riddled with corruption, he said.
“The scandals, a common occurrence during the Mintoff and Lorry Sant years, have become so extensive that even Labourites are appalled. The Prime Minister has become an ally of the Gaffarena family, protecting it against all odds. The ties between the police force, the office of the prime minister and these shady people are disgusting. But does Dr Muscat have the courage and moral responsibility to take action?” he questioned, during a telephone interview on Radio 101.
Dr Busuttil put forward a number of challenges to the Prime Minister. The first, to revoke the permit allowing Gaffarena to operate an illegally-built petrol station.
Second, to expropriate back all the property he gave the family – includng the 43 tumoli of land, a house in Sliema and a property in Old Mint Street. Apart from this, the government allegedly gave Gaffarena half a million Euro in cash.
Third, he challenged Dr Muscat to promise not to buy anymore property from the infamous family, including Palazzo Verdelin.
The Opposition leader also challenged Dr Muscat to remove MEPA and the lands department from under his remit. “In the past two years, the biggest scandals had to do with these two entities and that says a lot, “he said.
In the fifth challenge, Dr Busuttil requested the Prime Minister to remove Michael Falzon from his post as parliamentary secretary, after he helped make Gaffarena a millionaire overnight and benefited from an ‘early retirement’ €260,000 programme from Bank of Valletta. During the same period, he was agreeing to lease the House of Four Winds to the bank for 35 years.
The Opposition Leader asked Dr Muscat to take action against Inspector Daniel Zammit, who was prosecuting against Gaffarena when he was involved in a business with the same family. His brother, Inspector Roderick Zammit, was also found to be involved and as yet, he has not been suspended from the police force.
In the final challenge, Dr Busuttil insisted that Raymond Zammit, who was involved in the blunder involving Paul Sheehan and is still the acting head of prisons, is removed from his post.
Dr Busuttil said that scandals are being revealed on a daily basis, noting the report by The Malta Independent on Sunday, which reported that Joe Sammut, former treasurer of the Labour Party, has been running a full service Maltese visa and residential permit operation, predominantly for Libyan clients. The Sunday Times of Malta reported that the government was seeking to buy another palazzo in Valletta from Gaffarena, while Malta Today reported that Dr Muscat has confirmed that part of the American University will be built at Zonqor, despite the protests against it.
PN to launch good governance measures
The Opposition Leader concluded by saying that by the end of this year, the PN will be launching a package of good governace measures, which will set new standards for the party. These will include publication of important contracts, fair distrubution of government property and public funds and scrutiny over public appointments.
He said that the PN will remove any politician linked with corruption.
"We want to offer a alternative. We are not perfect, but we can offer better governance,” he concluded.
PL reacts
In a reaction, the Labour Party said that Dr Busuttil has one challenge – that to take action against Dr Fenech Adami, who lied about his ties to the Gaffarena family.
In a statement, the PL said that Dr Busuttil should learn that before taking action, the Prime Minister needs to wait for the investigation to be conclusive. Dr Muscat had made it clear that properties will be expropriated back if need be.