Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1510560
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 OCTOBER 2023 9 INTERVIEW The following are excerpts from the interview. The full interview can be found on https://www.maltatoday.com.mt as well as our Facebook and Spotify pages. When saying mem- bers of government should shoulder political respon- sibility, what are you saying? Who should resign? Chris Fearne, Robert Abe- la…? This case was filed against the Prime Minister as the leader of the government, not as an in- dividual. Apart from this case, we filed a judicial protest, where we held responsible all the government. This is be- cause the Budget was looming closer, and we had warned them that fraud has been un- covered in the deal and that it was a corrupt deal, because Steward themselves had de- clared it in court. If they knew it was a corrupt deal, how are we still going to vote in favour of giving them more money - €70 million and €80 million, for two years straight, to some- one who is declaring them- selves they are part of a corrupt deal... The government knew full well it was voting money in favour of a corrupt company and continued to do so. There- fore, the MPs have to shoulder responsibility. So what respon- sibility are you speaking of? What are you expecting from MPs? In Brussels, following the ter- rorist attack last week, in a couple of hours, the minis- ter responsible handed in his resignation. He wasn't part of the attack, but because he could have done something better to prevent it, follow- ing clear warnings, he felt he should shoulder responsibility. Here we not only had warn- ings, but we also had the com- pany itself saying the deal was fraudulent. The appeals court is not only saying that those responsible for protecting the country have failed, but con- tinued to pay millions to hide what was happening. Not just those MPs who were there at the start; not only those who handed the contract but also after, and so even those who are there today. Failed milestone after milestone, they continued to pump in millions. So, in a nutshell, what should hap- pen? There should be resignations. So, you are saying government should resign en masse? That's what happens in a nor- mal country. With a sentence like this, where the govern- ment is guilty of conspiracy against its own people and country, that is what happens. Joseph Muscat, in his only com- ment on the appeal decision, said the project was not successful because of hidden interests who were against the modernisation of the public health sector. What is your reaction to this? I understand he does not have much else to say and is speak- ing cryptically to try and dis- tance himself from any type of guilt, but the court was clear on his involvement. It is also the same thing Chris Fearne is doing. You have Robert Abela blam- ing Joseph Muscat; you have Chris Fearne blaming Konrad Mizzi; you have Joseph Muscat blaming hidden interests. And who will the people blame? Today, you per- sonally have the Nationalist Party's support, including that of the leader. They are congratu- lating you for this win. But this was not always the case. What changed? Is it because this victo- ry now benefits the party politically? When I decided to file the case, I did so because it was in the in- terest of the country. It was no easy decision, because there are dramatic ramifications. I operate within a party, and so I must work within its structures. My victory is the party's victory. Despite the damn- ing decisions on the hospitals deal, despite other scan- dals which have emerged over the summer, it seems the PN still has not won over the elec- torate's trust. In MaltaToday's and other newspaper's surveys, people still prefer to say that they will not vote. The PN is still not doing something right… I think that is the most consist- ent data set across all surveys for a number of months and years now. My reading is that beyond the PN not gaining any new votes, beyond the PL losing its support, people are moving away from the old mentality of voting according to their family's allegiance, and I think that is healthy for the country. The PN should continue fighting these battles to show its consistency on rule of law and good governance, because only it can fight these battles. The Labour Party can- not. PHOTO: JAMES BIANCHI / MEDIATODAY