PN administrative council unanimously expresses confidence in leader

The Nationalist Party administrative council expressed its unanimous confidence in leader Bernard Grech on Monday night.

The vote was taken after Jason Azzopardi failed to produce evidence before the party’s Commission for Ethics, Discipline and Social Media on allegations he made.

Earlier, Azzopardi resigned as member of the PN to avoid an investigation by the party structures over his allegations.

On Sunday, Azzopardi claimed that the party had received a donation in exchange for working towards a presidential pardon for somebody. The allegation came after Grech referred to Azzopardi, who failed to get elected in the last election, as having reached his “expiry date.”

In a statement late on Monday, the party said the administrative council had also discussed Azzopardi’s allegations about donations by the Fenech family, and it was confirmed that none had been received in the last years.

Addressing journalists at the end of the meeting, Grech said the allegations Azzopardi made were very serious and he had categorically denied them as soon as they were made.

“First of all I cannot grant a pardon to anyone, and I did not discuss such a possibility with anyone,” Grech said.

He said the party had given Azzopardi 24 hours to substantiate his claim, and such evidence had not been produced. The council, Grech added, had expressed its full confidence in him.

He denied receiving any donation from Fenech’s relatives, adding that whenever donations were made he always made sure that it is somebody else who receives them.

“I never discussed the pardon with anyone and did not receive any donation, personal or for the party,” he insisted.

Grech said anyone could reach his own conclusions about what Azzopatrdi was saying. The former MP had been given the opportunity to substantiate his claims but he had not done so.