Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1521709
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 JUNE 2024 6 INTERVIEW Alex Agius Saliba: 'Vitals inquiry, a political vendetta' LABOUR'S star MEP candidate, Alex Agius Sal- iba says criminal proceedings in relation to the Vitals scandal are political persecution against Joseph Muscat, Chris Fearne, and Edward Sci- cluna. In an interview with MaltaToday, Agius Saliba praises Muscat and the work achieved during his administrations but stops short of extending his defence to Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi. And he reiterates his strong belief that "the PN establishment" will continue to do what- ever it can to "eliminate" Muscat since he was the one who brought the party to its knees. Asked about the fraudulent concession itself, Agius Saliba boils it down to the simplified statement: "Things could have been done in a better way." During our interview, Labour's only incum- bent MEP candidate also fields questions on the electoral campaign itself, admitting his disappointment that EU themes were placed on the backburner throughout most of the campaign. Agius Saliba discusses EU defence in the con- text of the unprecedented time the bloc is go- ing through. He tells me that he does not agree with the S&D's pledge to develop a European defence industry in the face of Russia's aggres- sion. He also questions the logic behind Ukraine's fast-tracked candidacy as a potential EU state, adding that the bloc is responsible for much of the security-related issues it currently faces. Labour's leading MEP candidate Alex Agius Saliba talks to MATTHEW FARRUGIA about the electoral campaign and how some of the EU's security headaches are self-inf licted, and whether he has faith in the court proceedings tied to the Vitals scandal Joseph Muscat is not yet guilty of anything, and I always appreciated his work throughout the years, and I fully believe that the PN establishment will stop at nothing to eliminate Joseph Muscat.