Abela has forgotten how much Labour defended Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi, PN says
Prime Minister Robert Abela is now attempting to distance himself from the 17 Black company and Panama Papers scandal after it was announced that high-ranking Labour figures Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi will face criminal charges following the mag
Prime Minister Robert Abela is now attempting to distance himself from the 17 Black company and Panama Papers scandal after it was announced that high-ranking Labour figures Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi will face criminal charges following the magisterial inquiry into corruption related to the Electrogas power station contract, the Nationalist Party said Friday.
Abela is doing everything he can to sever ties with this scandal, trying to convince us that no one in today's Labour Party is involved in this corruption, the party said.
In reality, however, Robert Abela and his fellow ministers repeatedly defended Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi, including in Parliament, where they voted against motions of no confidence in these two prominent Labour figures several times after the scandal broke.
At a press conference in front of the Electrogas power station - which the PN described as a monument to Labour Government corruption at the centre of this scandal - Shadow Minister Beppe Fenech Adami and Shadow Minister Ryan Callus explained that no matter what Robert Abela says or does, he will never succeed in convincing the Maltese people that he had nothing to do with this scandal.
They recalled how, over the past eight years, from 2016 onwards, Robert Abela and his colleagues voted against various motions of no-confidence brought before Parliament against Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri or acted to prevent debates on these motions from taking place.
The Ministers and Labour MPs who defended Mizzi and Schembri with their votes when the scandal broke are the same individuals in Abela's Cabinet and Parliamentary Group today. Even after Robert Abela entered Parliament, as a Labour MP, he voted alongside his colleagues to block the no-confidence motions and to defend Muscat's former Chief of Staff, Keith Schembri, and former Minister and Deputy Labour Leader Konrad Mizzi.
At that time, Robert Abela was also the legal advisor to PM Muscat and his Cabinet. As a Cabinet consultant, he advised them to continue defending Mizzi and Schembri and to vote in their favour. Eventually, in January 2020, Abela succeeded Joseph Muscat as Prime Minister.
In short, explained the Shadow Ministers, whether it was the Panama Papers scandal or the LNG tanker scandal, the Labour Party voted against every no-confidence motion brought by the Partit Nazzjonalista. Now, the same individuals who voted to protect Keith Schembri, Konrad Mizzi, and Joseph Muscat have political responsibility to shoulder.
This Sunday, Robert Abela will attempt to rally support in a show of force to mark five years as Prime Minister. However, he cannot erase the fact that to become Prime Minister, he struck a Faustian pact with his predecessor, Joseph Muscat. As Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi themselves admitted, they always acted on Muscat's instructions. Nor can he erase the fact that five years ago, among the first to embrace and celebrate with him upon his appointment were Konrad Mizzi.
Abela now refuses to apologise for the misconduct committed by these high-ranking officials at the heart of Labour. At the very least, in these grave circumstances, Abela should issue an apology, the PN said.
The Maltese people expect Robert Abela to apologise for the actions of those at the core of the Labour Party who are now being charged with a series of criminal offences following the magisterial inquiry.
But more than that, they also expect political responsibility to be assumed by those who chose to protect Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri, and Joseph Muscat in the face of wrongdoing and corruption, rather than voting in favour of motions calling for their removal.
The PN said it will continue to demand that Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg, instead of acting as a shield for PM Abela and the Labour Government, publish the full magisterial inquiry without further delay so that the Maltese people can know who stole millions and how much was taken through corruption. They reminded everyone that if it weren't for the PN, this inquiry would not have been opened. PN leader Bernard Grech was the first to demand the full publication of the inquiry.
Standing in front of the Electrogas powerstation - the greatest monument to Labour Government corruption - the two spokespersons explained how every time the lights are switched on, the Maltese people are paying the corrupt, as the company 17 Black was set up specifically to receive payments from the powerstation operations funded through our electricity bills.
On Bernard Grech's insistence, the power station contract was also brought before the Public Accounts Committee for investigation. During this process, Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri tried everything possible to avoid answering questions, the PN said.
From a parliamentary investigation to the conclusion of the magisterial inquiry, this corruption scandal has now turned into a criminal case, and those responsible for the corruption must face justice.