Speaker Anglu Farrugia has confirmed an original decision to block PQs by PN MPs Simon Busuttil and Jason Azzopardi to the Prime Minister on whether OPM Chief of Staff Keith Schembri was invited to and attended the Pilatus Bank chairman’s wedding last summer.
Both the PM and Schembri have admitted to attending the wedding of Ali Ali Sadr Hasheminejad, who was arrested in the US last month on charges of money laundering and evading sanctions imposed against Iran.
Last week Farrugia blocked this PQ claiming it was “not relating to public affairs”. Busuttil objected to the decision.
Confirming the original decision on Wednesday, the Speaker explained that the setting of a question must be based on public business and affairs, adding that one’s conduct outside public affairs should not fall under parliamentary questions.
Farrugia stated that the Speaker of the House is the final authority with regards to parliamentary questions, where if a question has been blocked this cannot be discussed again in the chamber.
He added that once a question has been refused, if an MP wanted to challenge that decision they had to do so privately. Farrugia said his position was backed by legal advice.
The Speaker said he was also dismayed by the fact that a private conversation between himself and Busuttil had been leaked to the media, stating that “it was not that right certain remarks that were made in private are out in the media”.
Last week Times of Malta reported how Busuttil told the Office of the Speaker that the “abusive” decision to block the written question was more akin to what happened in autocratic countries rather than democratic ones.
Busuttil had previously argued that the question was of clear public interest.
Both Busuttil and Azzopardi said they are appealing the ruling.