Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/829623
maltatoday, MONDAY, 29 MAY 2017 News 8 TIM DIACONO PN leader Simon Busuttil said he is "disgusted and angered, but not surprised" at reports that the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU) had flagged potential kickbacks in the partial privatisation of En- emalta to Chinese state-owned Shanghai Electric Power. Addressing a political activity in Mellieha yesterday, Busuttil warned that the political situa- tion was "suffocating" and said the public cannot wait to vote out the government on Satur- day morning. "I am angry and disgusted that I live in a country where such scandals are the order of the day, but I cannot say that I am surprised at the report," he said. "[Minister] Konrad Mizzi and [OPM chief of staff] Keith Schembri have dipped their fingers in every pie – from the sale of passports and visas to the purchase of the LNG tank- er and now even the privatisa- tion of Enemalta." Citing a damning unconclud- ed report, the Malta Independ- ent on Sunday claimed yester- day that kickbacks had been planned for Mizzi and SEP engineer Cheng Chen via their offshore companies in Panama and the British Virgin Islands. In a statement, Mizzi rejected any allegations of impropriety in relation to the €320 million Enemalta deal and decried the report as part of a "character assassination campaign, origi- nally charted by blogger Daph- ne Caruana Galizia". In his speech, Busuttil ze- roed in on the FIAU's analysis of Mizzi's credit card activity, which found that the minis- ter had travelled to China 17 times on government business between September 2013 and March 2016. "Mamma mia, how much work did he have to do? It ap- pears as though Konrad Mizzi had more work to do in China than he did in Malta, because we hardly ever see him here." That comment was ostensi- bly a dig at Mizzi's shortage of press events since the Panama Papers scandal broke last year. The PN leader reiterated his pledge to launch an investiga- tion into all public contracts signed by the Labour govern- ment – including for the con- struction of the LNG power station in Delimara and the purchase of the LNG tanker that is berthed in Marsaxlokk as part of the power station project. 'Times of Malta urging people to vote for Forza Nazzjonali' In his speech, Busuttil not- ed that The Sunday Times of istro Simon Busuttil 'disgusted but not surprised' Criminal lawyer PN activity: 'Muscat TIM DIACONO LEADING criminal law yer Joe Giglio has urged the pub- lic to vote for the Nationalist Party, warning that a victo- ry for Labour will threaten the Maltese economy in the long-term. Addressing a PN political activity in Mellieha yester- day, Giglio said that he grew convinced Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has "lost the plot" after observing his body language during his debate with PN leader Simon Busuttil on Friday night. "Muscat is defending the indefensible, and Malta's reputation has been dam- aged because of the action of a clique around Muscat that has hijacked the country," he said. "Some people may be- lieve there is nothing wrong because the economy is do- ing well, but the truth is that these scandals are ultimate- ly threatening the economy." Giglio countered Muscat's frequent warnings that a victory for the PN-PD coa- lition would lead to an un- stable government, arguing that true instability would come about with a Labour victory. "Instability comes about when our country's institu-