Sant insists PN MEPs tried to help Abela get Court of Auditors role

Labour MEP says 'anonymous sources' played a dirty game to discredit Toni Abela, but that they weren't 'organised as a party' 

Labour MEP Alfred Sant said that Nationalist MEPs tried to help Toni Abela get elected to the European Court of Auditors.

The former Prime Minister told Newsbook that the PN MEPs, led by David Casa, accompanied Abela to meet members of the European People’s Party, of which the Nationalist Party is a member.  

“Anonymous sources played a very dirty game to break Abela, but I don’t think they were organised as a party,” he said.

MEPS of the budgetary control committee on Tuesday rejected the former PL deputy leader’s nomination to the ECA by 17 votes to nine.

The Labour Party claimed that Opposition leader Simon Busuttil had been aware of a campaign to discredit Abela amongst MEPs.

“Previous Labour Oppositions always supported PN governments’ nominees to European roles,” the party said, while accusing Busuttil of trying to play a dirty game to get Karmenu Vella rejected as European Commissioner.

Abela faced a tough grilling by the committee, with questions focusing on political controversies and his lack of auditing experience.

A number of MEPs zoomed in on an incident in the 2013 election campaign, when the PN released fragmented pieces of an unauthorised recording in which Abela is heard recalling an incident in which cocaine was found inside a PL party club.

Sant criticised the MEPs for focusing on allegations that have been dismissed from police and that haven’t surfaced in the local political scene since the last election.

“Some MEPs focused more on the [cocaine case] than they did on Abela’s abilities for the role,” he said. “He was placed in a difficult position; he had tried to convince MEPs about his technical and professional competence, but instead faced questions about a case that has been completely discredited in Malta.

“The story is complicated and would have taken a lot of time to fully explain, which would have only deviated attention further.”