Prime Minister Robert Abela used much of his traditional Sunday political event to blast Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech, in what was a politically-charged speech in Gozo.

Abela said that Grech had reported him to an inquiring magistrate and alleged that he had been implicated in the death of a person, and that as a result he had been summoned to testify before a magistrate by the police’s homicide investigation squad in the past few days.

That person, although not mentioned by the Prime Minister during his speech, was Karl Gouder, according to a statement issued later by the PN.

He also branded Grech as a “fraudster” and “tax evader”, and also suggested that somebody had given the PN leader money so that he could settle his outstanding tax and VAT bill with the authorities.

Abela was speaking during a Labour Party even in Gozo, and dedicated the first chunk of his speech to the resignation of Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo after he became embroiled in two scandals involving his wife.

“Your faith was lent to us for us to serve as a tool for the change that we promised for this country.  It’s because we are doing this that we are not going to let that faith be threatened – I will take the decisions, however hard they may be, as I always did,” he said.

The first case concerned an ethics breach where it was revealed how Bartolo’s wife Amanda Muscat had been engaged as a consultant within the Gozo Ministry with a pay packet of €68,000, despite not being qualified for the role. 

An investigation by the Standards Commissioner found that Muscat had done no work as a consultant, but instead had carried on the work of her previous role, which was as Bartolo’s personal assistant.

Abela detailed the process, and said that he was always going to bind himself with what the Parliamentary Committee for Standards in Public Life decided on the case.  He reminded that this was a position and set of rules which the Labour government had introduced with an agreement with the PN, and noted that in the past there was no scrutiny on politicians or political parties.

When the process came to an end, Abela said, “new circumstances emerged – circumstances which required a different, difficult decision, as otherwise the faith that you have lent us would have been jeopardised.”

These new circumstances was the reveal that the FIAU had handed over a report to the police concerning a suspicious transaction of €50,000 between an MTA contractor and Muscat, which investigators reportedly believed may have been a kickback.

“This is what led to Clayton Bartolo’s resignation.  He worked a lot in tourism, but in that moment and situation, his resignation was necessary,” Abela said.

“Everyone has a right to defend his position, but the people also have a right to send a clear message to the government for its work to be dedicated to the service of the people – like we showed in the Budget, the strongest Budget we’ve ever had even though we’re still only halfway through the legislature,” the Prime Minister said.

It was here that Abela turned his guns onto Bernard Grech and the Nationalist Party.

He said that those in the PN threaten him that the worst is yet to come. “No worries, I tell them, bring it on,” Abela said, but he added by highlighting an episode which he said happened some weeks ago.

“I, together with the PL administration, was invited to a coffee with the PN leader at the PN HQ, and we went.  It turned out to be a trap,” he said.

He continued that only a few weeks later, Grech went to the inquiring magistrate and told him that during this coffee meeting it emerged “that I was implicated in the death of a person.”  As a result, Abela said, some days ago he was summoned to court to testify before the inquiring magistrate by the police’s homicide squad.

“This is to understand how cheap, cruel and how far they’ll go to get into power – you should be ashamed,” he said.

Abela did not name whose death he had been summoned to testify about, but it was confirmed in a PN statement issued later that Abela was referring to the death of the party’s former MP Karl Gouder.

Abela named PN MP Karol Aquilina, who he said was present at this coffee meeting, as someone “who leads the PN from the shadows” and who draws his energy every day from his cruelty towards the government.

The Prime Minister then turned to Grech himself, branding him as a “fraudster and tax evader”, and questioning “who put money in the bank for you to pay the tax bill that you owed.”

Grech’s struggles with the taxman were well documented prior to his election as PN leader in 2020, with documents showing that he had failed to pay his income tax and VAT, over €60,000 in total, over two decades.

When this emerged, Grech told the media that he had settled €30,000 of his dues and admitted that he could have been more careful.  In July 2021, Grech said that he had paid all of his taxes and that he had a certificate from the Tax Commissioner to prove it.

“Who gave you the money? How much of the €60,000 did you actually pay? Show us the receipt of what you paid and didn’t pay – or what they paid for you.  I will keep asking these questions until you answer.  Every taxpayer has a right to know what did you to not pay the full bill,” Abela said on Sunday.

He went on and said that when Grech points the finger at the government, he has four more fingers pointing back at him.

Abela said that Grech must take action against those in his party who work with the government and who have not attended the workplace for years, and even use their standing as a PN MP to threaten their managers with revenge should they not be allowed to skive off work.

The PL leader named PN MP Toni Bezzina in particular, saying that has not been reporting to work for years in order to work in his private practice while being paid by the taxpayer, and said that there are others like him.

“The first thing that the PN has to do is to have a look around itself,” Abela said.

He also highlighted how the PN is yet to publish any accounts and called on the party to be transparent about its financial situation.  “He wasn’t even capable of reducing the party’s debt by one cent in four years as leader, let alone how capable he is of running the country,” Abela said of Grech.

Abela dedicated a part of his speech to Gozo, saying that the government is looking at an alternate vision, seeing Gozo as an island of villages.  He thanked several people, including Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri and Qala mayor Paul Buttigieg for protecting Hondoq ir-Rummien once and for all.

He also named Justyne Caruana – a former Gozo and Education Minister who had to resign twice from Cabinet and who did not seek re-election in 2022 – and said that he believes that “Malta and Gozo needs you and your contribution.”  Caruana was present at the political activity, with the cameras panning to her at the back of the hall as Abela mentioned her name.

Abela spoke of a number of projects done in Gozo such as the new Nadur school and the soon to be opened Aquatic Centre in Rabat, and also mentioned a significant collective agreement signed this week which will see public service members enjoy better working conditions.

“We can do this because we are strong economically,” Abela said as he made a final rallying cry to his supporters for them to keep lending their faith to the party.