President George Vella and rule of law NGO Repubblika have agreed to meet to thrash out their differences when it comes to the upcoming reform of the Constitution.

President Vella accused the NGO of “distorting facts to mislead” people over the issue.

President Vella took umbrage over reports yesterday that Repubblika had submitted its submissions on the process of Constitutional Reform, but had received no sort of acknowledgement from President Vella.

“This is a distortion of the truth,” the Office of the President insisted yesterday.

Repubblika, however, was quick to fore back, saying, “it is a sad day when Malta’s President publishes a statement that distorts facts.  The President’s statement of today is appalling on so many counts.”

Later in the day, the Office of the President clarified that, “The President reiterates that he immediately acknowledged the only letter package he received on Constitutional Reform from Repubblika in March prior to his swearing in.

“The President also reiterates that the letter delivered on 10 June by a representative of Repubblika was never brought to his attention.

“The President reiterates his willingness to meet any civil society representatives, and will be meeting representatives of Repubblika once a mutually agreeable time and date are set.”

Repubblika, in turn, noted “the President’s acknowledgment of today of our letter of 10 June.

“We therefore understand that his outburst of earlier today was due to some confusion within his office.

“We welcome the President’s renewed commitment to meet Repubblika and we assure him we are at his disposal to meet as quick as he can make time for us.”

The fact of the matter, Repubblika explained, was that “On 15 March, then Dr Vella had received a packet letter containing documents from Repubblika dealing with Constitutional Reform,” the president’s office said.

“On that same day, Dr Vella answered by email to Ms Marion Pace Asciak, Repubblika President, acknowledging receipt of documents and saying that as he was still not in office, Dr Vella was not in a position to discuss the matter. He answered that he could only promise that once he was in office, he would be more than willing to meet and discuss the matter.

“On 18 March Ms Marion Pace Asciak thanked him for his ‘prompt response’ and said, ‘we very much look forward to meeting with you to discuss the matter once you are in office’.

Repubblika says that it indeed sent President Vella a letter on 15 March to his private residence informing him of its submissions to his predecessor Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, then still in office.

In an emailed response, Repubblika says, Dr Vella told the NGO that he wasn’t President yet so there wasn’t much he could do just yet. He did assure us he would take our submissions into account and would discuss them with us after he took office.

“After he came to office we waited for some form of communication from the Steering Committee on Constitutional Reform that never acknowledged our written submissions which its members expressly asked us to prepare for them,” Repubblika explained.

When no form of reaction came, Repubblika says, “We went to the President’s office on 10 June around 8.30am and personally delivered a letter to the President reminding him of our submissions and asking him again to meet to discuss our submissions.

Repubblika adds, “We are going to assume the President was not informed of this by his staff and today he did not set out to lie.”  This, in fact, appears to have turned out to be the case.