Bezzina insists he never forced workers to sign false declaration

Contacted by MaltaToday, Bezzina reiterated that he never forced employees of the public works department to carry out works at the PN club, adding that he had instituted a libel case against the newspaper over its original reports.

MP Toni Bezzina
MP Toni Bezzina

Nationalist MP Toni Bezzina has denied that he ever “requested anyone to sign any false declaration”. Reacting to reports published by the Labour media ONE TV and Kulhadd, Bezzina insisted he never forced government workers to sign a false declaration.

The reports relate to an inquiry ordered by the then Resources Ministry into claims that Bezzina had asked government workers to carry out maintenance works at the PN club in Zurrieq, making use of government materials.

On Monday night, ONE TV aired a copy of a declaration allegedly written by Bezzina and sent to the three workers for their endorsement. The declaration stated that the three workers carried out the works “voluntarily” and in their free time.

Labour newspaper Kulhadd on Sunday reported that “the workers clearly stated that they were ordered to make the declaration”.

The conclusions of the 2012 inquiry were never published by the government of the time.

Contacted by MaltaToday, Bezzina reiterated that he never forced employees of the public works department to carry out works at the PN club, adding that he had instituted a libel case against the newspaper over its original reports.

“It is absolutely and completely untrue that I ever requested anyone to sign any false declaration as it is likewise untrue that the inquiry shown to me in any manner states or concludes this,” Bezzina said.

The Opposition MP expressed surprise that the newspaper described the inquiry “as held in secret”.

“This is indeed very surprising as, apart from the fact that it was a departmental inquiry held according to the usual standard procedures in such cases, the same newspaper had full knowledge of it at least over a year and nine months ago,” he said.

Bezzina argued that the inquiry was not a secret because he had referred to it in an affidavit presented in libel cases against the newspapers in April 2013.

The Zurrieq MP accused Kulhadd of acting “in utter contempt of the court and of the legal process” for having carried a story which is currently still subject to legal proceedings which have not yet been concluded.

“I can only interpret this move as an attempt to influence these legal proceedings on one hand and a rather unethical politically-motivated act on the other,” Bezzina said.

The MP will be seeking legal advice on whether to proceed with legal action over the latest reports. 

The Labour Party has now challenged PN leader Simon Busuttil to take action against Toni Bezzina: “Toni Bezzina has always enjoyed the absolute faith of Simon Busuttil. The previous government had hidden the inquiry before the 2013 general elections, allowing Bezzina to contest the general elections on the fifth district.”
The PL said Busuttil had initially entrusted Bezzina as shadow minister for infrastructure and he is now the spokesperson for agriculture and fisheries.

“If Busuttil wants to change his political party, he has to do more than simply shift his MPs around. He has to show that he is in favour of clean politics and against abuse. He now faces another test of political responsibility,” the Labour Party said.