[WATCH] Nationalist MEPs tell Abela in Brussels: ‘Investigate Joseph Muscat’

Robert Abela meets EU leaders in Brussels

Prime Minister Robert Abela met with Nationalist Party MEPs David Casa and Roberta Metsola in Brussels, who told him to investigate his predecessor, Joseph Muscat, as they refused to pose for a photograph.

Casa and Metsola made three demands of the new Prime Minister: that Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri, and Joseph Muscat be investigated for money laundering and corruption; that he remove from office "those individuals making a mockery out of their role", including the Attorney General; and that all corrupt deals including the sale of Maltese passports be halted and investigated.

Prime Minister Robert Abela was in Brussels on Tuesday, meeting with the highest authorities at the European institutions in Brussels.

Among others, Abela met with the President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.

Abela was accompanied by permanent representative to the EU, Daniel Azzopardi, Malta's ambassador to Belgium, Ray Azzopardi, Labour MP Anthony Agius Decelis, his personal aide, Ray Barbara, and his chief of staff, Clyde Caruana.  

Nationalist MEPs tell Abela in Brussels: 'investigate Joseph Muscat'

With European Council President Charles Michel, Abela discussed the reforms Malta is carrying out in the good governance sector, including the new system used to appoint the next police commissioner.

The European budget in light of the United Kingdom’s exit from the union was also discussed.

In his meeting with Davide Sassoli, Abela discussed the challenge of migration, and stressed on a common solution that is divided among all member states.

PN MEP David Casa confirmed in a Facebook post that he and his colleague refused to pose for a photo with him.

"The Prime Minister wanted to use this opportunity for a photo with me and my colleague, Roberta Metsola, but we didn't let him. This is not a time for photos but a time for decisions, decisions which should have been taken earlier," Casa said.

Casa criticised Abela for his decisions in the first few weeks of taking office, saying that such decisions represented continuity of the bad and corrupt decisions taken by his predecessor, Joseph Muscat. 

"He kept Edward Scicluna and Owen Bonnici as ministers. Instead of investigating former police commissioner, Lawrence Cutajar, on his inaction on various cases of corruption and money laundering, he provided him with a contract that will cost taxpayers," Casa said.

Edward Scicluna is the subject of an inquiry into the Vitals Global Healthcare hospitals concession deal and Owen Bonnici was criticised as justice minister when he continuously gave orders for the makeshift memorial to the murdered journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia, to be cleared. 

Cutajar recently signed to a three-year Home Affairs contract as a consultant for public safety and logistics.

"Instead of investigating Joseph Muscat, Konrad Mizzi, and Keith Schembri, he took one with him to negotiate the corrupt hospitals concession deal, the other is allowed to go abroad from one country to the next, and the other was nominated to represent Malta as head of delegation for the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe," Casa said.

He added that he would ensure that Malta's name is no longer ridiculed around the world and that he would take all the necessary measures to ensure that the process of justice in Malta takes its course. 

Head of Labour MEP delegation, Miriam Dalli, said that the Prime Minister wanted all six Maltese MEPs to meet with him but that the PN delegation refused to do so.

In a Facebook post, she referred to this as a tribal mentality. "It's a shame that the PN delegation did not want to meet as one whole delegation of one country. This tribal mentality does not help anyone," she wrote.