Castille, the Prime Minister’s office, has become a monument to corruption given the large number of scandals that Joseph Muscat and people working there have been involved in, Nationalist Party leader Beppe Fenech Adami said.

Addressing a press conference in front of Castille, Dr Fenech Adami mentioned No Portfolio Minister Konrad Mizzi, OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri and PM adviser Brian Tonna as having offices in the building. All of them have been involved in the Panama Papers revelations, and the scandal continued to grow so much as to force the PM to call an early election.

Dr Fenech Adami also referred to a story that was published in The Malta Independent yesterday, which caught the Prime Minister in another lie. Joseph Muscat had said that any transaction can be traced via what is known as a SWIFT programme. But, according to a report by the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit, such records were not registered by Pilatus Bank.

The PN Deputy Leader also noted the 'irony of credibility' in the Labour Party's 'ferocious' attempt to discredit the whistleblower in the Egrant allegations, and its stark contrast between the Labour Government who introduced the Whistleblower Act and condemned the PN for questioning the whistleblower in the Giovanna Debono case a couple of years ago.

Marijuana Legalisation

Following yesterday's announcement that the PL, PN, and PD would all support a national discussion on the legalisation of cannabis, The Malta Independent asked Dr Fenech Adami whether or not he was personally in favour or against legalisation, and if the PN announcement was a snap reaction to the PM's declaration an hour earlier.

"It was absolutely not a reaction. We understand that there are varying opinions on the issue, it is why we are supporting a national discussion. However, announcing it two weeks before a general election is an attempt to buy votes and not an informed discussion"

He also said that the PN's position had been discussed with PD beforehand.

PN Gozo Proposal

Dr Fenech Adami was also able to provide a concrete structure to  the PN pledge of €10,000 as a financial incentive for every young couple who are starting a family and settling in Gozo.

He said that it would be available to 3000 people, or 1500 couples, and would cost roughly 3 million euro per year.

Photos and video: Paul Jones