Former Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo has asked the Standards Commissioner to investigate the Nationalist Party;s health spokeman Adrian Delia over what Bartolo sees as a conflict of interest.

In a post on Facebook, Bartolo said that he had submitted a complaint requesting an investigation into Delia due to his "clear and shame-faced" usage "or rather abuse" of his position in parliament with a "strong, personal conflict of interest." He said that this is a "clear case" of Delia, "putting the interest of his clients first" in a breach of the parliamentary ethics. 

Bartolo went on to sketched how Delia is currently acting as a legal representative of a company before the Public Contracts Review Board that is objecting to an Enemalta tender. He said that this was revealed in the reply to Parliamentary Questions.

In response via Facebook, Delia said that two days ago he was "attacked" by the Minister for Health Jo Etienne Abela for "doing [his] work as a lawyer," apart from not being invited to a TVM discussion programme on Wednesday, where Abela was present. He claimed that this was "[so that] the people don't hear the voice of the Opposition."

Delia said that he now he was "attacked for doing his job as an MP" not by the minister but by "he who once was a minister before he was sacked for making his friend pay his partner €70,000 yearly for nothing." He went on to say that this was apart from the "hundreds of thousands and millions" that were squandered in the film industry "without giving justification."

DElia was referring to how Bartolo and fello Minister Clint Camilleri were found to have breached ethics when Bartolo's partner was given a job as a consultant when she did not have the necessary qualifications.

Delia said that "it is clear that the order has now been issued: 'Attack Delia so that he won't speak'" in a bid to stop his fight against injustice and expose wrongdoing. He went on to stress that he won't be silenced and that he will continue his work as a lawyer, "since like everyone else, I have a family to feed," but he won't "steal, like many others are doing with the blessing of ministers."

Furthermore, Delia said that he will not only continue to work in his capacity as an MP, but more so the more he is "attacked" since his "will to fight for good" will be strengthened.