Muscat to address MEP’s Valletta rally as Cuschieri beckons Labour faithful to attend

Former Labour prime minister Joseph Muscat will be addressing a political rally organised by Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba at Pjazza Tritoni in Valletta.

The announcement was made by Labour acolyte Manuel Cuschieri, who has frequently accorded friendly interviews to Muscat on his Smash TV programmes, and was also the first to announce a potential bid for MEP by Muscat.

News that Muscat will address Agius Saliba’s rally will mean this will be the first time that the former Labour leader addresses a public gathering since his disgraced exit from politics in December 2019, following the resignation of his chief of staff Keith Schembri and the arrest of Schembri’s business partner Yorgen Fenech, the alleged mastermind behind the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Cuschieri made the announcement on a Facebook livestream after his One Radio broadcast. “It is with pleasure that I announce that Joseph Muscat will be addressing this rally… my appeal to listeners is that, on Saturday at 7pm, you attend, to give a big wave of support and encouragement to Joseph Muscat, and you know exactly what I am referring to,” Cuschieri said, referring specifically to Muscat’s as yet undeclared election bid for Brussels.

The rally will be held on 9 March - the 11th anniversary since Labour’s re-election in 2013 with Muscat at its helm. Ministers Ian Borg, Silvio Schembri outgoing MEP and former Labour prime minister Alfred Sant will also be addressing the rally.

It is unclear whether Muscat’s appearance carries the blessing of Labour top brass, which has been said to be unsure about allowing the former leader to contest for an MEP seat.

“You know that Labour will be winning big… I am convinced that it is without doubt, that with Muscat on its list, Labour will win by a large margin. I feel that Saturday’s rally is the first show of support we can give Muscat to ensure our wish to see him elected in Brussels, comes true,” Cuschieri said.

[WATCH] Joseph Muscat does not exclude running for MEP: ‘I cannot ignore the people’

Muscat’s possible comeback into politics has been the talk of the town since Labour stalwart Manuel Cuschieri posted a laudatory Facebook post on Muscat, asking his followers whether they agreed that he return to the Labour fore as an MEP.

The domino effect eventually resulted in Labour MEP candidates voicing their support for Muscat should he decide to contest next June’s election. Muscat’s wife Michelle Muscat has also addressed rallies held by candidates, namely Clint Flores, Daniel Attard, as well as Claudette Abela Baldacchino.

‘I am not trying to tease, it is a difficult decision’: Muscat on possible MEP candidacy

Muscat and the Labour Party as a whole are currently holding their breath as they wait for the conclusion of a magisterial inquiry into his part in the fraudulent hospitals deal that may recommend criminal action against him.

Muscat is also being investigated for his consultancy contract with a Swiss company that could have been used to disguise payments from the Vitals-Steward hospitals deal. An investigation by the Times of Malta revealed that police are probing his bank accounts and a consultancy contract with Swiss company SpringX Media. The company is registered at the same Swiss address as Accutor Consulting, which used to be called VGH Europe. VGH switched name in January 2018, shortly before Steward Health Care took over the concession from Vitals Global Healthcare, to run three hospitals in Malta.

READ ALSO: Joseph Muscat: ‘I don’t fear arrest… this is a frame-up’

Under the full consultancy contract, Muscat was set to receive €540,000 across 36 monthly payments. But the payments stopped abruptly after four months, meaning Muscat netted €60,000 from SpringX Media and Accutor Consulting. Between March 2019 and January 2020, Steward Health Care itself wired €500,000 to Accutor Consulting for consulting services. Muscat has denied any link to Steward about the Accutor payments which he said are consultancy fees.