The NGO Repubblika has called for the immediate resignation of Parliamentary Secretary Rosianne Cutajar from government and from Parliament.
In a statement, the NGO said that it is evident from reports in the past months that Cutajar had a relationship with Yorgen Fenech, who is accused of being the mastermind behind the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, which is “unacceptable and incompatible with her role as a government minister.”
They said that it now appears that her relationship with Fenech influenced her conduct as a member of parliament.
The NGO pointed out how in June 2019 as one of Malta’s delegates at the parliamentary assembly in the Council of Europe, Cutajar had stood up to object to an assembly resolution which mentioned Fenech’s company 17 Black in the contest of the assassination of Caruana Galizia.
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“This was the only speech she ever did in the six years representing Parliament in Strasbourg”, the NGO pointed out before adding that the speech was only days away from the day Fenech allegedly paid her a commission fee in a property purchase in Mdina.
Repubblika added that on 27 October 2020, Cutajar had voted against there being an inquiry into the Electrogas power station project, even when she was obliged to declare a conflict of interest due to her relationship with Fenech – one of the founders of Electrogas and the CEO of the Maltese company which held shares in it.
“Rosianne Cutajar used her parliamentary vote to hide the truth about what Yorgen Fenech did, and she did this without declared her intimate involvement with Fenech”, Repubblika said.
They said that Cutajar should resign immediately and that if she does not do this, then the Prime Minister as the head of government and the Parliamentary speaker Anglu Farrugia should take action to replace her with a person who is idoneous in the eyes of the law.
They concluded by saying that the Standards Commissioner should also consider these revelations as part of his investigation into Cutajar’s conduct.