The police are pushing for an investigation into PN MPs on the eve of an election, Opposition and PN leader Bernard Grech said in an interview on Sunday.
This comes after PN MPs Karol Aquilina and Toni Bezzina both faced investigations, with the former resigning as the PN's justice spokesperson over a driving incident two years ago and the latter being investigated for allegedly asking government employees to carry out maintenance in a PN party club years ago.
"I always said that the PN was never perfect, isn't perfect and is not going to be perfect. But it is interesting that the police are now - on the eve of an election - looking into a case where a PN MP is allegedly involved which dates back nine years," Grech said. "I always said that where the law is broken, investigations should take place and steps should be taken. But, in the case of Toni Bezzina, why did nine years pass before they even spoke to him, and why was he never told that there was an investigation?"
The Opposition leader said that he will investigate the case once he has the facts in hand. On the other hand, he said the Prime Minister has yet to move a finger over the allegations made about Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister Carmelo Abela, where PN MP Jason Azzopardi accused Carmelo Abela of being involved in an HSBC heist.
Asked about the fact that there are still a number of old faces remaining within the PN, Grech said that it does not mean that they still don't have anything to offer the party. "One cannot think that, in order to move forward, you have to change each and every old face you had within the PN. Just because you have been there for a long time doesn't mean you don't have something to offer," Grech remarked.
The Opposition leader was also asked about a possible return of Franco Debono, and the Opposition leader said that he will be in touch with him. "In terms of Franco Debono, I have no doubt that he still has a lot to offer, and I will be in touch with him... even he is seeing the progress the PN is making."
In terms of the economy, Grech pointed out that more niches need to be created and that the discrepancies in wages need to be addressed. "The PN always had, still has and will continue to have a socialist soul... It was the PN that lured the gaming, aviation and pharmaceutical sectors. So the PN is the one that created new economic niches over the last 30 years."
"We need to ensure that there is balance. Although it's good to have people employed in gaming and for them to have good wages, we have to understand that our society doesn't only rely on those jobs and Financial services jobs; you need teachers, doctors, nurses and so forth," Grech said.
"You can't have a teacher that has been teaching for 20 years and he or she is still earning €24,000 a year, while others are jumping up the ladder. You can't."
Regarding the cannabis white paper which was launched recently, Grech said that the PN is performing a widespread consultation process to see what views are before taking a stance, although he did note that he does not want to see youth thrown into jail for using cannabis.
Finally, Grech said that Gozo remains an important part of his political agenda, highlighting that more accessibility should be given to Gozitan residents through the tunnel in order to address the discrepancies of wages and educational benefits.