Francine Farrugia, a PN Siggiewi councillor and former PN general election candidate, was charged with embezzling €2.3 million euro from MCAST. She denied a raft of fraud and accountancy charges. The whole country was aghast at the shocking details revealed in court.
Farrugia allegedly transferred €1.9 million into her Revolut account and another €422,420 into her other bank accounts. She allegedly attempted to transfer another €122,000 into her account. Police told the court that Farrugia bought a property in Malta and entered into several promise-of-sale agreements on other properties. She bought vehicles and luxury items. She allegedly spent €113,000 at Harrods in London. When police officers raided her home they seized branded clothes and jewellery. They found so many handbags, shoes and sunglasses that they could only seize some of them and left many more behind "otherwise we would fill up the court," Inspector Borg told the court.
Farrugia is presumed innocent until proven guilty. But the nature of the charges and the scale of the alleged fraud should have been met with a decisive and instant reaction by the PN. Farrugia should have been instantly expelled. The PN should have sent a clear unequivocal message that any party councillor, MP, MEP facing serious charges will be instantly expelled until their name is cleared. The PN had a brilliant opportunity to demonstrate that they are a world apart from the governing Labour party which robustly defended and protected a long litany of MPs and MEPs who faced serious accusations - from Joseph Muscat, Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri, Rosianne Cutajar, Silvio Grixti, Ian Borg, Silvio Schembri, Daniel Attard, Justyne Caruana, Clint Camilleri, Clayton Bartolo and many others.
The PN issued a statement on the same day that Farrugia was charged stating "the PN contacted her legal counsel and was informed that Farrugia has resigned from all roles within the Partit Nazzjonalista, as well as from her position as local councillor in the Siggiewi Local Council". The PN added that it "demands the highest standards from its representatives". The PN shouldn't have let her resign. The party should have expelled her pending the outcome of her prosecution.
Still, the PN's response was swift - a far cry from Labour's default response to alleged wrongdoing by its members. When Silvio Grixti quietly stepped down as MP, Robert Abela retained him as a consultant at the Office of the PM despite being investigated by the police over the massive disability benefits fraud. Party President Ramona Attard refused to answer questions about whether Grixti was still a party member. Labour later claimed he was no longer a party member because he defaulted on paying his membership fee. Labour didn't condemn Grixti, didn't take any action against him.
When Rosianne Cutajar was condemned by the NAO for her phantom consultancy post at ITS, Robert Abela welcomed her back into the party with open arms dropping his demand for an apology.
When Justyne Caruana was found in breach of ethics and the Standards Commissioner recommended her investigation for misappropriation of thousands of euro for her boyfriend's phantom job, Abela invited her to return to frontline politics commenting that she still had a lot to offer.
Abela brought the notorious Neville Gafa back into the party as "customer care volunteer" in Gozo. Abela reinstated Edward Scicluna, who's still facing charges of fraud and misappropriation, as Central Bank governor. He's reinstated Ronald Mizzi and reappointed him permanent secretary at the OPM.
Repeatedly Abela ordered his MPs sitting on the Parliamentary committee for standards to vote against endorsing damning reports by the Standards Commissioner over Labour MPs' breaches of ethics. When Michael Farrugia was found guilty of ethics breaches Abela's MPs abstained. When Carmelo Abela was found guilty of ethics breaches Labour's MPs walked out of the committee meeting. When the report on Rosianne Cutajar was presented they voted against endorsing it.
That is the big difference between Labour and the PN. Labour continues to protect its own even when they face serious criminal charges, even when guilty of ethics breaches. The PN disassociated itself from Francine Farrugia and forced her resignation - not after her conviction but within hours of learning about the allegations against her.
The truth is that the PN immediately cut its councillor loose the minute she was charged. Labour is still protecting Joseph Muscat who faces far more serious charges - corruption in public office, money laundering, fraud. The €2.3 million that Francine Farrugia allegedly embezzled is staggering - those details shocked the nation. Yet it pales next to the 400 million Vitals fraud which had no impact on Labour. Joseph Muscat is still an active member of the party, still voting at the party's conferences. He was warmly welcomed by Robert Abela at Mile End at the opening of an exhibition. Muscat was still campaigning actively on behalf of MEPs Alex Agius Saliba and Daniel Attard before the European parliament election.
Abela's Labour party expressed shock at Francine Farrugia's alleged abuse. Labour's minority leader at the Siggiewi local council presented a motion to independently audit the council's finances throughout Farrugia's tenure - from July 2019 until August 2025. The PN council members voted in favour. The whole council roundly condemned "any type of abuse, theft, fraud and lack of transparency or accountability by those elected by the people". The PN mayor should have presented the motion himself, not just voted in favour. The PN-led Siggiewi council pledged that once completed, that audit will be published in full.
Using the same logic Abela's Labour party should demand an independent audit of the Maltese government's finances throughout Joseph Muscat's tenure - from March 2013 until December 2019. The whole parliament should have roundly condemned "any type of abuse, theft, fraud and lack of transparency or accountability by those elected by the people". Abela's Labour government should have pledged that once completed that audit would be made public.
Francine Farrugia allegedly embezzled 2.3 million euro. Joseph Muscat has 30 million euro of his assets frozen.
Labour expressed its horror that PN officials trusted Farrugia and took photos with her in the past. Robert Abela is still shaking hands with Joseph Muscat and welcoming him to the party headquarters.
Labour mocked the PN's due diligence as a "failed process". What should it say about its own due diligence that allowed Joseph Muscat, Konrad Mizzi, Rosianne Cutajar, Justyne Caruana, Chris Cardona, Keith Schembri, Clayton Bartolo, Edward Scicluna, Jimmy Magro, Daniel Attard and so many others through?