The Nationalist Party has written to the Electoral Commission, telling it to cancel the votes of prisoners who were ineligible to cast their ballot in the general election.
Earlier, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said the PN was reserving the right to take any action to ensure that the forthcoming election is free and fair.
Darren Debono, known as ‘it-Topo’, is one of the prisoners who has been allowed to vote in the general election this year. Debono is a convicted bank robber, having plead guilty to his involvement in the failed 2010 HSBC heist. He was jailed for 10 and a half years after admitting his involvement in the HSBC heist.
Other prisoners such as drug trafficker Pierre Cremona – who was sentenced to seven years and a half in prison for trafficking heroin in 2016 – was also allowed to vote during the early voting.
The Maltese constitution states that prisoners who have been sentenced to more than 12 months in prison for a crime should not be allowed to vote.
The PN media reported on Monday evening that secretary general Michael Piccinino had written to the Chief Electoral Commissioner, telling it to cancel the votes of those who had had no right to cast their ballot.
Asked by the media on Monday morning, Bernard Grech said that the PN was currently seeking out verifications and collecting information.
He said that this is to ensure that the people responsible for this answer to their responsibilities, and that immediate action will be taken in order to safeguard the electoral process.
Grech said that the PN has its eyes on the PL as well as the Electoral Commission and each entity which should fulfil its duty to ensure that the fairness of the election is safeguarded.
“Each party, the Chief Electoral Commissioner and the electoral commission has the obligation to ensure that electoral laws are being followed,” Grech said.
Grech said that the situation is a clear example of a Prime Minister who does not see to it that the institutions truly work, casting doubts on the country’s institutions.
“Unfortunately, we are here talking about these things, when we should be concentrating on the campaign and ensuring that the forthcoming election is free and fair,” Grech said.