Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1259447
12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 JUNE 2020 NEWS Delia could ditch PN's 'religio et patria' THE PN wants to grow the economy without dragging the country's reputa- tion through the mud, PN leader Adrian Delia said yesterday in an interview. Insisting that he wanted an economy where everyone worked, earned mon- ey and took what was rightfully theirs without needing to resort to corruption, Delia said: "Robert Abela, instead of giv- ing to the small and the weak, continues to give only to the giants." Corruption had a price tag that was being paid for by workers and their families, he said, pointing to the ill-con- ceived Steward Healthcare, Electrogas and VistaJet deals. The hundreds of millions of euros wasted on these deals could otherwise have been invested in helping those negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the jobless and pensioners. "This is the principal message of the PN, that we can grow our economy without diminishing our country's reputation, where you do well without the need for corruption and where the wealth created really reaches everyone." During the interview, the PN leader also mooted the possibility of changing the PN's motto from "Religio et Patria" to "Għas-Servizz Tiegħek" (at your ser- vice), as part of a suite of reforms which the PN has been working on in the past months. Asked about the polls which have consistently placed the PN well behind Labour, Delia said that change would not happen overnight. "A week is a long time in politics," he added, reminding the host that things could happen that would shift the PN's electoral fortunes. "For instance, we are no longer in a sit- uation where the economy is thriving," he said. Delia was also asked about the way the government had handled the COV- ID-19 pandemic and what he would have done differently. He said that partisan politics should have been put on the back burner dur- ing a time of national crisis. The government had given people just enough to keep their heads above water, he said, adding that while he agreed that it was important to first help those most in need, the time had come for more to be done. It was clear that the gov- ernment was not doing enough to help businesses, Delia claimed. He criticised Prime Minister Robert Abela for making several major an- nouncements through "propaganda" videos on social media and the national broadcaster. The Opposition, he said, did not have the resources to do like- wise. Man, 36, charged over 5kg cannabis bust A man arrested on Thursday in con- nection with a drug bust in which 5kg of cannabis was seized has been denied bail during his arraignment on Saturday. Jeffrey Cassar, 36, of Mosta, plead- ed not guilty to drug possession and money laundering charges Saturday morning before magistrate Yana Mi- callef Stafrace. He was arrested on Thursday after police stopped him and a passenger inside a car. Officers discovered €10,000 in cash together with the drugs, which was divided into packets, inside his house's garage. During Cassar's arraignment, it emerged that police officers from the Drugs Squad had been observing movements in and out of the garage for a number of days. A number of other arrests were made inside the house, with these suspects being released on police bail at a later stage. Cassar's lawyers requested bail, ar- guing that police had already inter- rogated third parties involved in the case so there was no risk of tampering with evidence. The defence also point- ed out that the accused had a young child. Prosecuting inspector Anthony Scer- ri objected to the request for bail, ar- guing that the police investigation was not yet concluded and highlighting Cassar's extensive criminal record. Magistrate Yana Micallef Stafrace turned down the bail request and also upheld a request by the prosecution to freeze Cassar's assets. Lawyers Franco Debono, Amadeus Cachia and Alfred Abela appeared for Cassar.