PN MP Darren Carabott has spoken of “anger” and “betrayal” in reaction to an alleged fraud of €2.3 million by ex-PN local councillor Francine Farrugia from her place of work at MCAST.

Francine Farrugia, who worked as a financial controller at MCAST and who was a Nationalist Party local councillor, was on Thursday charged with misappropriating €2.3 million from the school.

A court heard how Farrugia, who had access to the school’s payroll, entered salaries twice across a two year period before police eventually caught on. Farrugia has since been suspended from her job and has resigned from all of her positions within the PN, including as a local councillor in Siggiewi. Farrugia has denied the charges that were filed against her.

Carabott, who is the PN’s shadow minister for home affairs, wrote on social media that first and foremost he was angry.

“Can you imagine how you would feel if you were elected for the first time in Parliament and after three years of working and tabling laws against abuse of public funds – and you read a piece of news like that?,” Carabott wrote.

He also said that he felt betrayed: “So we speak about what bothers people – things like the cost of living, the difficulties to buy a property for the first time, and so on – we live them. We mean every word we said.”

He said that these two words – “anger” and “betrayal” – sum up the emotions that he has felt now that 24 hours have passed since the news from court.

"In moments like these the people expect a difference: between those who hide and cover for what is wrong, and those who distance themselves from what is wrong," Carabott said.

He said that if what is being alleged is true, then Francine Farrugia should not only resign as she did, but also pay for the abuse. He said that she should stay far away from politics until any doubts are removed or until she is found guilty.

He said that the political bar should be higher than waiting for criminal responsibility to be established and that the PN cannot accept or stay quiet when there are allegations in court that tarnish its politics.

“Now ask yourself, when there were similar allegations made against others some years ago – did you see someone condemning it or distancing themselves?  This is the difference in the standards between us,” Carabott concluded, in a jibe towards the Labour Party.