Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/839659
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 21 JUNE 2017 4 CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 Former GWU secretary-general Tony Zarb also stepped into the fray, demanding that the govern- ment declare Langen a "persona non grata" and denouncing PN MEPs Roberta Metsola and Da- vid Casa as "traitors". However, Langen has brushed off this criticism, telling Malta- Today that he cannot take the personal reproaches of "social- ists in the Maltese press" seri- ously and that the comments "show a lack of understanding for democracy of the governing party". "I am sorry that Mr Muscat had to stimulate the 'dinosuars' of the socialists to attack two Maltese colleagues and myself on a personal level," he said, in an obvious reference to Tony Zarb. "It is especially alarming for me that all of this is happening under Muscat's eyes while his country holds the EU Council Presidency and he is leaving many questions in the plenary unanswered." Asked for a reaction, a spokes- person for Muscat told Malta- Today that Langen's "partisan approach" undermines the impartiality needed for him to fulfil his role as an impartial chairperson. "We will not get into a sling- ing match with someone who clearly cannot decipher political partisan spin and outright lies which have been denied, while he continues stating them as facts," he said. Joseph Muscat last week trav- elled to the European Parlia- ment in Strasbourg, where he faced questions by MEPs on the Panama Papers scandal and Malta's taxation system during a debate on the rule of law on the island. The most damning criticism came from Werner Langen, the chairperson of the EP commit- tee investigating the fallout of the Panama Papers, who ripped into OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri for refusing to appear before the committee. "This is total disdain to the European Parliament, and I've never seen anything like it," he told a chuckling Muscat. "You can laugh all you like, Prime Minister, but we [the PANA committee] will insist that you don't get off scot-free. If you keep doing nothing, then we [the Pana committee] will keep on following you and keep on questioning you…including whether you had bought votes in Malta." Muscat had brushed off the criticism, arguing that he will appear before the Pana commit- tee once an inquiry into allega- tions that his wife owns the off- shore company Egrant has been completed, and that no one had commented about how the wife of EU energy commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete had also been implicated in the Panama Papers scandal. 'Muscat's arrogant behaviour covered up his insecurity' Langen told MaltaToday that Muscat didn't convince him at all last week, arguing that "it is obvious that his arrogant be- haviour should cover up his in- security". He also dismissed the Prime Minister's comparison of the case of Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri with that of Miguel Arias Cañete, arguing that the European commissioner's case was not one of potential cor- ruption but solely of a poten- tial conflict of interest, that has since been clarified by the re- sponsible committee. Langen welcomed Muscat's commitment to appear before the Pana committee at the end of the Egrant inquiry, and gave him a teaser as to what sort of questions he should brace him- self for. "He will be welcomed and he will get questions concerning Malta's distorting tax policy, which he will hopefully answer," he said. "He has not succeeded to convince parts of the Parlia- ment, especially the members of the committee of enquiry." News Glenn Bedingfield elected on the 2nd district Langen dismisses Muscat's explanations CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 He added that as an MP he would now continue working for the party and the country and had no doubt the Prime Minister would find ways of involving him where he felt necessary. The former tourism minister was followed by OPM commu- nications aide Glenn Bedingfield who was elected on the second district, and Qormi mayor Ro- sianne Cutajar on the sixth dis- trict. "I am honoured to be serving the Maltese and Gozitan nation in the country's highest institu- tion," said Cutajar. "I am also very happy that we will have an additional female in parliament." Cutajar promised "absolute loyalty" to Prime Minister Jo- seph Muscat, the Labour Party and the country. On his part, Bedingfield said that in the 25 years he had been working within the Labour Par- ty, he had always made sure the "people came first". "I must keep looking to the fu- ture and on how I can continue to prioritise the interests of the people, this time from parlia- ment," he said. The twelfth district went straight down to the wire with newcomer Clayton Bartolo beating former planning par- liamentary secretary Deborah Schembri by just 17 votes. "I am very emotional after a long and intensive campaign but a campaign that was still a posi- tive one," said Bartolo, who also thanked Schembri, who he in- sisted was a "valid" person who still had much to contribute. Former digital economy min- ister Manuel Mallia beat Gzira mayor Conrad Borg Manche and Nikita Zammit Alamango in the battle for Michael Falzon's seat on the ninth district. "I would like to thank my con- stituents on the ninth and tenth districts who voted for me, as well as the Maltese and Gozitan people who chose the Labour movement once again," said Mallia. Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi was elected on the fifth district, beating Carlo Stivala, Rita Sam- mut, Sebastian Muscat, Edric Micallef, Joe Farrugia, Joseph Cutajar, Mario Calleja, Roder- ick Cachia and Luciano Busut- til to the seat vacated by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. Zrinzo Azzopardi had accumulated over 1,900 votes by the time his election was a mathematical certainty. The former Labour Party pres- ident thanked the people of the fifth district for showing faith in him and added that he would be repaying his constituents through his work and dedica- tion. "This is another step in my po- litical career, after having served within the party's structures," he said. "Today I look forward to being close to the people, as part of the great work being under- taken by this government led by Joseph Muscat." Finally, the competition on the fourth district was by far the longest and most tense, ending in an electoral victory for Etienne Grech. Proceed- ings on the district were held up for some two hours as three recounts were required to deter- mine who among Stefan Buon- tempo and Andy Ellul was to be eliminated in the penultimate round. Following the nail-biting con- test, Grech said he was relieved to have been elected, albeit at the end of the day, adding that he had faced an even bigger challenge since he had not had enough time to adjust to the changes in district boundaries introduced this year. "I am very happy and prepared to renew my energy over the next five years so that together with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat I will do my best for the country," said Grech. Rosianne Cutajar was elected on the sixth district and will be the youngest MP in this legislature. She promised "absolute loyalty" to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, the Labour Party and the country and said she was honoured to be serving "the Maltese and Gozitan nation in the country's highest institution.