Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/551192
8 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 5 AUGUST 2015 News PN leader accuses Gaffarena of 'shielding' junior minister MIRIAM DALLI FILING his fifth libel case in two days, Leader of the Opposition Simon Busuttil has accused busi- nessman Joe Gaffarena of "shield- ing" lands parliamentary secretary Michael Falzon as "repayment" for the Qormi petrol station permit and the €1.65 expropriation deal in Old Mint Street. Busuttil is categorically denying having asked Gaffarena to meet him in 2012 and of seeking to ob- tain files related to the 1998 Daewoo scandal. The General Workers' Un- ion's newspaper It-Torca on Sunday suggested that Busuttil wanted Gaf- farena – formerly a Daewoo conces- sionaire – to pass on the files related to the Daewoo scandal "possibly to use against John Dalli". But the PN leader is insisting that the allegations are untrue and that the meeting was held at Gaffarena's request "who was seeking a permit for his illegal petrol station in Qor- mi". However, Joe Gaffarena has now filed an affidavit claiming that the 2012 meeting had been organised by former health minister Joe Cas- sar – a statement which is also being denied by Cassar. Firing back, Busuttil said that Michael Falzon was refusing to shoulder responsibility and was in- stead using the Gaffarena family as his shield. The Opposition has been demanding Falzon's resignation over the €1.65 million expropriation deal reached with Gaffarena's son, Mark. The deal is being investigated by the National Audit Office and the Internal Audit and Investigations Department. (IAID). "The Labour government not only gave Gaffarena a permit for an ille- gal petrol station, but also gave him millions for half a house in Valletta. Therefore, Gaffarena is now paying back Falzon by using him to invent lies about me," Busuttil said. "Falzon is wrong if he thinks that people will forget about his own scandals. The Opposition will con- tinue to fight the institutionalized corruption under the Labour gov- ernment and will insist that Michael Falzon shoulder responsibility for what he has done. "I categorically deny the fallacious allegations in l-Orizzont and I am certain that the truth will out in court. I am therefore filing another libel suit," Busuttil said yesterday. "Until justice is served in the law courts, it is up to the people to judge who to believe between a person like Gaffarena, who lined his pockets with the Labour government, and myself." The libel suit issued yesterday was against l-Orizzont, the GWU's daily, which in yesterday's issue reported the affidavit filed by Gaffarena: Gaffarena files affidavit: 'Joe Cas- sar organised meeting with Busut- til, requested papers on John Dalli' Joe Gaffarena on Monday made a sworn declaration saying that Joe Cassar had asked him in for a meet- ing with Simon Busuttil at the PN headquarters and asked him "to bring all papers" related to the Dae- woo scandal. "[…] I confirm that Joe Cassar had called me five months before the general election and asked me to go to the PN headquarters to meet Simon Busuttil and to take all my papers. "My son Mark accompanied me to the meeting and Joe Cassar led us to Busuttil's office. Once we were inside, Cassar saw that I was empty- handed and asked me why I hadn't brought the requested papers. I asked what papers he was talk- ing about: 'what else do you want to know about the petrol station?' Cassar replied that the papers he wanted were about John Dalli and Daewoo." According to Gaffarena's affida- vit, Busuttil "looked at Cassar and angrily stood up and said, 'Mr Gaf- farena knows what he has to do to open' [the petrol station]. The meet- ing ended abruptly." In a reaction, Cassar issued a state- ment via the Nationalist Party deny- ing the allegations. He added that the truth will out in the libel cases filed by Simon Busuttil against it- Torca, l-Orizzont, One TV and One Radio. Joe Gaffarena said he categorically denied requesting the meeting and that it was Cassar who asked him to attend the meeting that he had set up. "It is untrue that I wanted to meet Busuttil so he could sort out the permit for the Qormi petrol sta- tion." Gaffarena said that the original permit for the Qormi petrol station was issued during the Fenech Ad- ami administration but problems arose when Lawrence Gonzi was elected Prime Minister. "Some two weeks after I invited Gonzi over for dinner, I received a phone call from MEPA telling me to close down the petrol station as they were going to withhold the permit". Gaffarena also claimed that, "just before the attacks against my fam- ily started", Frank Psaila – former PN communications director – and Michael Fenech Adami – former Birkirkara mayor and Beppe Fenech Adami's brother – "visited me at the petrol station and asked for €1,500 in adverts on Net TV". "I paid them and I have the VAT receipt signed by Frank Psaila," Gaf- farena added. He categorically denied "ever ask- ing the Labour Party to favour him in any way or having requested the help of a minister". CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 "What's wrong with an officer doing the odd plumbing job or what's wrong with being a part-time athlete or musician?" Camilleri asked, add- ing that part-time police officers are allowed to work other part- time jobs. "If an officer drives expensive cars or owns a luxury yacht, then this should be investigated, but you cannot place a blanket ban and pro- hibit all part-time jobs," he said. This was especially unfair, Camilleri said, when taking the average police wages into account. "Why should police officers be de- nied the opportunity to make more money for their family if there is nothing illicit or no conflict in- volved?" Taking himself as an example, Camilleri said that while carrying out his duties as a prosecution of- ficer on a €1,500 salary he faces lawyers who earn fabulous wages. Citing the Daniel Zammit in- quiry's findings, the union chief said the lack of a wage reform and the ban on holding part-time jobs could lead to abuse of power and corruption within the corps. To date, the police commissioner has not set a date for a meeting, the union chief said, adding that the union will be taking an offi- cial stand only after clarifying a number of matters with Cassar. "We want to know how it will work out and whether all activi- ties will be deemed as unaccept- able. What will happen if an of- ficer's wife owns a small family business?" he said, adding that the union believes that police officers should set an example to the rest of society by being accountable and transparent. Police union chief calls for wage reform PN leader Simon Busuttil