Simon Busuttil does not deserve to be in Parliament – PL
● His role on EU experts panel no longer tenable, MEP says
The inquiry about Egrant showed that all allegations made against Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and his wife Michelle was based on false documents, and former PN leader Simon Busuttil, who led the campaign against Muscat, does not deserve his place in Parliament, Justice Minister Owen Bonnici said yesterday.
In a press conference at the PL headquarters, Bonnici said Busuttil wanted to become Prime Minister based on this lie, and the least he could do now is to resign all positions he holds.
“If Busuttil has a crumb of decency he has one choice, to resign. Not to suspend himself (as the Opposition leader is suggesting) but to resign. He does not deserve to represent Maltese families,” Labour MP Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi said.
Bonnici said that although PM Muscat knew that all that had been said about him was a lie, he submitted himself to a magisterial inquiry. This is the best example of the implementation of the rule of law, Bonnici said.
In another development, Labour MEP Miriam Dalli said Busuttil’s appointment as a member of a panel overseeing the appointment of Judges and Advocates General on the European Union Court of Justice is no longer tenable.
Busuttil was nominated for the post by the European Parliament.
The former EPP MEP Simon Busuttil is the only panel member representing the European Parliament, the Labour Party statement said. The panel is tasked with giving an opinion on candidates’ suitability to perform the duties of judge and advocate general of the General Court.
In a letter addressed to the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, Dalli argued that, following the conclusions of the Magisterial Inquiry into the Egrant allegations, it is amply clear that Simon Busuttil is no longer fit for this role.
“This is a role that requires a person that is capable of taking a serious informed decision. The conclusions of the Magisterial Inquiry clearly indicate that Simon Busuttil is not fit for this role. Picture him overseeing the Maltese government’s next nomination of a judge to sit on the European Court of Justice,” Miriam Dalli said, commenting on her decision.
In a separate letter sent to all MEPs of the Civil Liberties Committee and the committee focusing on the Rule of Law in the EU, Dalli insisted that MEPs must distinguish between allegations and fact, and support analysis based on facts through independent inquiries.
“The conclusions of the said inquiry were published and it results amply clear that these allegations were false, a mere fabrication and not substantiated by any evidence,” Dalli told the MEPs.
She said that MEPs have been heavily influenced in their perception of Malta by those whose only interest was to harm Malta’s reputation, under the leadership of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.
Fellow Labour MEP Alfred Sant also updated all MEPs at the EU Parliament with the conclusions of the magisterial inquiry. Sant said the inquiry convincingly proved that the allegations were unfounded and completely false.