The Speaker of the House of Representatives this evening rejected a request by the Opposition for the House to be convened urgently on Saturday evening to debate the national situation.

In his letter to Opposition Leader Adrian Delia, Anglu Farrugia said the government had not agreed to the request and, since there was no agreement, the session cannot be called.

The Nationalist Party made its request after a parliamentary group meeting this afternoon. The meeting was summoned urgently by leader Adrian Delia following reports that Black 17 owner Yorgen Fenech had requested a presidential pardon in conjunction with investigations by police in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder.

In a statement, PN leader Adrian Delia said Malta was facing an unprecedented constitutional and institutional crisis, saying that government high officials had failed to uphold the law. Not only this, they have been or should be investigated on allegations of wrongdoing.

The PN also said that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat should shoulder political responsibility and resign in the wake of the arrest of Yorgen Fenech. 17 Black was listed as a “target client” for the secretive Panama companies opened by Muscat’s chief of staff Keith Schembri and Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi.

“Ongoing investigations must be free of any vitiation. This risk exists because persons, including the Prime Minister, involved in the conduct of these investigations could be close to persons of interest in the same investigations.

“Prime Minister has lost every moral authority to lead the country and has for years evaded his political responsibilities. Now with every minute that passes Muscat has little space for manoeuvre. Our country is suffering the consequence of corrupt and criminal behaviour of people close to the prime minister, people the prime minister has continued to protect to this day.”

The request for Parliament to convene urgently was made by Delia with the support of the whole parliamentary group.

In reply, the government said that the Opposition's request shows its state of confusion.

On the one hand it says that the PM should not speak about the case and on the other it wants a parliamentary debate to dicsuss the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, the statement said.

This request is coming from an Opposition which walked out of Parliament last Wednesday.

It would do well to allow the institutions it criticises to do their duty, as they are doing, the government said.

In a counter reply, the Opposition noted the state of panic and fear of truth the government finds itself in. On Wednesday, the Opposition asked the Prime Ministerin Parliament to say whether he was going to dismiss chief of staff Keith Schembri and minister Konrad Mizzi after the arrest of the owner of 17 Black, Yorgen Fenech. The PM had refused to take political responsibility for what happened, the PN said.

While the police continues its investigations in connection with the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, today a leading minister and deputy leader of the Labour Party was summoned to the police headquarters to be questioned. This confirms the need for Parliament to be convened with urgency, the PN said.

In its letter to the Speaker, the government said that the Opposition's request did not include a motion on the subject in hand. The government appreciated the situation but the Prime Minister has already said that he would be willing to have a parliamentary discussion once the police conclude their investigations.

The letter, signed by Labour deputy leader Chris Fearne, who is also Leader of the House, said nothing should be done to compromise the police investigations.

Opposition Leader's letter to Speaker

Government's reply to Opposition letter

Speaker's reply