Ministers share collective political responsibility, PN says following new scandal

There is collective responsibility on a political level among the members of Cabinet, Nationalist Party Secretary General Michael Piccinino said as he spoke in front of Castille on Tuesday in a press conference regarding the resignation of Clayton Ba

By: independent.com.mt

Nov 26 2024
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Ministers share collective pol

Piccinino said that when there are ministers who continue supporting other ministers who they know were clearly involved in fraud, then they are collectively responsible. He added that those directly involved in scandal should resign, referring particularly to Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri.

PN Deputy Leader Alex Perici Calascione said that the case involving Bartolo, his wife Amanda Muscat, and Camilleri was already serious in itself, with the circumstances being known by everyone as they were made clear in the Standards Commissioner's report.

The Standards Commissioner's report found that Bartolo and Camilleri had abused their power when Bartolo's girlfriend at the time, now his wife, Amanda Muscat was given a consultancy job within the Ministry for Gozo which she had no qualifications for and did not do. In a meeting last Wednesday, the Standards Committee unanimously decided to adopt the conclusions of the Standards Commissioner's report which found that the two relevant Ministers had breached ethics.

Perici Calascione continued that despite this case already being serious, it has now become even more severe for the country due to the reaction of Prime Minister Robert Abela. Perici Calascione said that this case did not simply involve two members of the Labour Party, but rather it involved two main ministers within the country's cabinet. He continued that a lot of the attention was around how the Prime Minister of the country would react in this situation, and that the way in which he reacted before Tuesday led to the serious preoccupation of how the crisis of a party could become the crisis of a country when decisions are not made with the warranted responsibility.

The PN Deputy Leader said that there was no need for people to go out on the streets for this day to arrive, nor was there a need for numerous civil societies and student organisations to call for resignations. He remarked that the country did not need to go through all this when the situation could have been addressed immediately and appropriately.

"We talk about the crisis of a party becoming a crisis for a country because this was not an isolated case. This was another case in a number of cases, one after the other, which are doing their part to weaken the country's moral structure and our international reputation as a country of quality where serious investment can happen," he stated.

Perici Calascione said that this day is not a day where people in Malta can take joy, as it is a case of great seriousness because what has happened is indicative of the gravity of how weak good and serious governance has become in Malta. "This is a wake-up call. There is a need for us to continue working for what is good in our country," he commented.

He concluded by saying that the PN is calling for the strengthening of work in favour of what the country needs. "Good governance, and institutions working as they should and not dragging their feet." He added that people should be seen as equals in the eyes of justice, regardless of whoever they are and whoever they know.

Piccinino commented that if there was ever the need for clear evidence of how the phrase "continuous fraud, only fraud" is true for the government, then this day would be clear evidence. "Today, this country woke up talking about one case of fraud, and by the afternoon we are talking about a new case of fraud."

Bartolo's wife, Muscat, is reportedly being suspected of receiving around €50,000 in kickbacks for a Malta Tourism Authority deal, with these payments ultimately being flagged by the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit.

The PN Secretary General remarked that Malta has a government in crisis, "A government which is too caught up in the crisis, theft, and fraud that its ministers are enacting to focus on bettering the quality of life of the Maltese and Gozitan people." He continued that what was seen today was the fruit of the people uniting against the bad being done by the government, and added that it is a sign that if the people unite to invoke change, then the people are capable of providing that direction.

Referring to what the Prime Minister said as he spoke outside of Castille on Tuesday, Piccinino said that Abela stated that he "removed, or Bartolo resigned, due to facts of a new scandal". Piccinino commented that he believes Abela had known about this scandal for some time. He continued that if Bartolo "had to leave" because of a scandal involving €50,000 but not a scandal involving €70,000, referring to the initial ethics breach report, then he questioned how Camilleri, "who was an accomplice in the fraud of the phantom work done by Bartolo's wife as well as the coverup", is still tenable in his position as Minister.

Piccinino commented that it is evident that Abela does not want or is unable to provide a different direction for the country, and so the PN Secretary General said that it is going to be the Maltese and Gozitan people who will give a new direction for the country, as he said they did in the case of Jean Paul Sofia's public inquiry, among other cases.