Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1466490
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 MAY 2022 3 NEWS Send and receive payments instantly. Create a virtual Mastercard and order a physical one. Trade thousands of stocks, bonds, ETFs and funds. CCTrader is now moneybase. Make money simple. Get started today! Download the app. Investment services are provided through Calamatta Cuschieri Investment Services Ltd (CCIS) C13729 which is licensed by the MFSA. Payment Services are provided by Moneybase Limited (MB) C87193 which is licenced by the MFSA to transact the business of a Financial Institution in terms of the Financial Institutions Act, Cap 376. CCIS and MB are both subsidiaries of the CC Finance Group plc with registered address situated at Level 0, Ewropa Business Centre, Dun Karm Street, Birkirkara, BKR 9034, Malta. LUKE VELLA A clear rift has emerged between Opposition leader Bernard Grech and the former MP Jason Azzopardi, who yesterday hit back with a barb on social media after Grech suggested Azzopar- di's political journey had reached its own expiry date. Grech said he recognised all the work done by Jason Azzopardi, who as a lawyer to the Caruana Galizia family was an avowed anti-corruption crusader within the PN. But he said every politi- cian had to accept that their po- litical journey had an expiry date. Azzopardi failed to get elected on his home constituency in the fourth district, as well as on the ninth district which he contested for the first time, where he was pipped by young candidates in the casual elections. But speaking to Andrew Az- zopardi on Radio 103 on Fri- day, Grech "categorically" de- nied that the party had worked against the campaign of former PN MP Jason Azzopardi, saying that it was up to the electorate to decide when one's political jour- ney came to an end. "Everyone has to understand that one's political journey has an expiry date. Mine will come too and when it does I will be ac- cepting it and move on," Grech said. Azzopardi was combative in his reaction on Facebook: "It seems those who read the ex- piry dates of others often forget their own shelf-life," he said in a clear reference to Grech." He then upped the ante with another statement, claiming he had stopped a donation to the party from somebody seeking a presidential pardon for a rela- tive. "It's easy inventing an expiry date. Maybe that was because I was an obstacle to a donation from someone who wanted a presidential pardon for their rel- ative, right?" he said. Azzopardi did not reply to calls from Mal- taToday to explain the incident. Party election Grech said it was important that the party rallies behind his leadership, now the sole can- didate for the PN's mandatory post-election leadership race. Defending his leadership af- ter the 2022 election defeat by a margin of 40,000 votes, he said he had encouraged Simon Busuttil to stay on as leader even after the 2017 defeat. "Let's all appreciate that there is only one leader. We need to once again show respect and give the benefit of the doubt to the vision of whoever is leading the party […] We are all part of the same party and we all have to cede part of our author- ity for the benefit of the party. This is what the PL does," Grech said. "Self-discipline is very impor- tant and we all have to under- stand that even if we are right, we are still part of a party and can't do whatever we want." PN still committed to honouring the Cedoli scheme Grech said the PN will be hon- our its commitment to holders of its loan notes scheme, the Ċedoli debentures, despite its €32 million in accumulated debt. Grech said the investments will be repaid in full at their 4% in- terest when they reach maturity in 2026. Grech explained that he had disclosed the amount of debt the PN had during his speech to the General Council, in order to be authentic and truthful with par- ty members. "I can't lead a par- ty without being authentic and truthful. I will not take people for a ride and paint a false picture," Grech said. Grech said that the Labour Par- ty too had debt which ran into the millions, but said it refused to disclose it to the public. Ray Bezzina's controversial move to DB Group Grech also denied that the PN was being influence by donors, after his former aide Ray Bez- zina took up employment with the DB Group of Silvio Debono. "Ray Bezzina has done what he decided to do, but the party has always shown political consist- ency. The point is not whether certain people have donated to the party but whether we crit- icised certain projects or not," Grech said. "Have any donations restrained us? No, they did not as we had come out against the DB project. We will not be influ- enced by any donation." Umbraged Azzopardi hits back at Grech comment on political 'expiry date'