PL, PN call for Electoral Commission investigations on party financing

The Labour Party yesterday said the Electoral Commission should investigate claims that the Nationalist Party’s media company issued “false invoices” to cover payments meant as a donation to the party.

Justice Minister Owen Bonnici said the Electoral Commission has all tools to investigate this breach of law and take all legal steps.

The db Group claims it had been asked by the PN’s “top officials” to cover the wages of its CEO and general secretary. This was done through invoices issued every month by the PN’s media company. The PN has denied these claims insisting the arrangement between db and Media.link was of a commercial nature.

Later, the Nationalist Party insisted that the Electoral Commission should investigate the Labour Party, which is still to register formally as laid down in the political party financing law.

In a statement, the PN said that it has no problem to be investigated because it had nothing to hide and has already made the formal registration and declaration as the law required.

On the other hand, the Labour Party is breaching the law on three fronts. It has not yet registered with the Electoral Commission, it had not submitted any details on donations received and high officials of the Labour Party as well as media employees are being paid for from public funds.