Muscat keeps up pressure on Gatt: ‘his credibility has been dented’

After Transport Minister Austin Gatt accused the Labour Party of a "frame-up" - accusing them of manipulating an email circulating on Facebook - Labour leader Joseph Muscat hit back, claiming that "the minister's reputation has been dented".

During a two-hour question and answer session with journalists, Gatt yesterday confirmed that his father opened a bank account in Switzerland in 1973, which was subsequently inherited by his mother and then him: he claims the money was intended as a fund for his children. But the minister also admitted that he had forgotten to declare the Swiss bank account in his parliamentary declaration of assets.

He later said that he would be passing on the back account number to the Police Commissioner.

"One just doesn't happen to forget a Swiss bank account," Muscat said, insisting that the minister's credibility has been dented.

Muscat was speaking during One TV chat show Vie, broadcast live from Siggiewi.

Referring to allegations made by the minister that emails by George Farrugia published by MaltaToday and The Times were "inconsistent", Muscat said it was "clear that Gatt is panicking".

"Gatt has repeatedly changed his version of events and he's now clutching at straws," Muscat said, adding that it didn't make sense for the minister to declare he didn't want to intrude in the police's investigation but then held a press conference on the issue.

Gatt insisted that he had given the Police Commissioner his word that he wouldn't make any statements about the investigation. "But I couldn't go on be at the receiving end of attacks and not defend myself," he said, as PL exponents repeatedly questioned why the minister was not making himself available to answer any questions.