PM does not say whether he will resign if inquiry into Keith Schembri finds wrongdoing
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat weaved around questions as to whether he would resign if ongoing inquiries into his chief of staff, Keith Schembri, find any wrongdoing. He was addressing a press conference in Mdina yesterday.
This newspaper also reminded the prime minister that, earlier in the week, Magistrate Aaron Bugeja had described the Egrant inquiry as ‘complex’. Asked whether this indicated that things are not as black-andwhite as he has made them out to be, Dr Muscat said he does not have any insight into the magisterial inquiry.
“Things are black-and-white because I know I am saying the truth. I have no doubt that the magistrate is checking all the facts and looking into all issues regarding the allegations made.”
He again said that as he will resign if there is some truth to the allegations, then PN leader Simon Busuttil must resign if it turns out he lied. “I don’t know why Dr Busuttil is resisting this after showing that he trusts the work of the magistrate,” he said.
He said that he will not speculate on the work the magistrate still needs to do, “as I don’t know,” but added that he understands the magistrate is making checks with other jurisdictions which were mentioned. He urged the magistrate to explore all possible avenues.
He noted that Dr Busuttil had said on Tuesday that the inquiry will not conclude before the election. “It was as though he breathed a sigh of relief. I don’t think anyone should be happy about all this. I want the inquiry to conclude as quickly as possible, but I am at ease that whenever it is released, it will prove me correct.”
This newspaper also highlighted the issues between former Prime Minister Alfred Sant and Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando over the Mistra case, which dates back to 2008, pointing out that Dr Sant now says he would rather vote for Ta’ L-Ajkla than Dr Pullicino Orlando.
“I understand the situation between Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando and Alfred Sant. I respect both of them. Dr Sant is one of the most honest people I know. Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando was framed by the PN. The story on this has been said and was written,” the prime minister claimed, adding: “What I know for sure is that they will both vote PL and that, at the end of the day, is what binds us.”
During the press conference, the prime minister spoke about family-friendly measures and other proposals in the PL manifesto. He spoke of introducing the concept of a living wage, which would not be obligatory. “First, there would need to be a study regarding the adequate level of income in a household and for a person,” he said, adding that there will be fiscal incentives for those companies offering such a wage, rather than just the minimum wage, which would rise every four years according to the agreement with the social partners for the creation of a mechanism.