Jason Azzopardi claims Muscat told Fearne he wanted immunity and Steward guarantee
Former Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi says Chris Fearne told him that Joseph Muscat wanted guarantees on Steward during Labour’s 2020 leadership race
Lawyer Jason Azzopardi has claimed Joseph Muscat wanted Chris Fearne’s guarantee that should he win the Labour Party leadership race in 2020, Steward’s hospital concession remains untouched.
Speaking during a recorded interview with Emmy Bezzina which will air on Smash TV tonight at 9:30pm, Azzopardi claimed that Chris Fearne had told him that Muscat had asked for two guarantees from the leadership nominee: that Muscat remain “untouched by justice” and that Steward’s hospital concession is retained by the Fearne administration.
“Some months after January of that year, it was around March or April, Chris [Fearne] had told me that in January, Muscat had met with him to ask for his guarantee that if he became leader Steward would stay in Malta, with Chris Fearne telling him ‘forget it’,” Azzopardi told Bezzina.
According to the lawyer, Muscat’s second request for his support during the leadership race was that “he remain untouched by the hand of justice”, with Fearne replying “no way” [inżabbab].”
Jason Azzopardi said that after Chris Fearne turned down both of Muscat’s requests and “from that evening” both the former prime minister and his wife Michelle Muscat started campaigning “all out” in favour of would-be leader Robert Abela.
“I am saying this because while we may not agree on something at a political level, when it comes to the truth, we should rise above out differences and we should not be afraid of the truth,” Azzopardi said.
Following fresh revelations connecting prominent members of the Muscat administration to the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in November 2019, Muscat had announced that he would be stepping down in January 2020, kicking off a Labour Party leadership race. The only two nominees who ran for leader were Chris Fearne and Robert Abela, with the latter eventually becoming prime minister in January.
READ ALSO: Joseph Muscat lobbies Robert Abela to renegotiate Steward hospitals deal
Chris Fearne currently faces charges of fraud in connection to the Vitals hospitals concession on the basis of a magisterial inquiry's findings. He is also facing charges of misappropriation and having made fraudulent gains.
Chris Fearne tendered his resignation from the Labour cabinet last May, saying it was the right thing to do, despite maintaining his innocence. The Prime Minister tried convincing him otherwise, but Fearne did not budge. However, Fearne has remained PL deputy leader.
It was also revealed earlier this month that Fearne was the target of a smear campaign funded by Steward. A police investigation has been requested by the former DPM.
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