Edward Scicluna fails to explain overspending by Muscat’s Cabinet – PN

Finance Minister Edward Scicluna has failed to give an explanation for the millions of euros that were spent over and above the allotted budget by the Cabinet of Ministers led by Joseph Muscat, the Nationalist Party insisted yesterday. A good part of the money was spent on travelling and other extravagances.

“It is evident that Minister Scicluna does not know where the money was spent or is uncomfortable explaining how budgets for the past year doubled or in some cases trebled, with thousands becoming millions,” the Party said in a statement.

The Minister boasted that the overspending amounted to €158 million and not €250 million as reported in the media, the party said, but instead of attacking the media, he should explain where each and every extra euro was spent.

Publishing a table of the extra costs involved, the PN said that Joseph Muscat’s Ministry spent €1.6 million more than budgeted in travelling, apart from the extra €480,000 spent on propaganda. The contracts signed by Edward Zammit Lewis’ Ministry amounted to €320,000 more than planned, while professional services paid for by the Ministry reached €1 million more than budgeted. The Malta Tourism Authority spent €15.8 million more than planned while Chris Cardona’s Ministry spent €2.3 million more than estimated.

The PN said that Minister Scicluna had confirmed that the government is divorced from re- ality, and spoke of percentages in order to minimise the issue. People pay their taxes in cash, not percentages, it said, adding that Minister Scicluna should know that poverty is on the rise and pensioners do not have enough money for medicine.