Updated | Prime Minister asks Konrad Mizzi to resign but former minister refuses to go

Updated at 6:25pm with news of PL executive meeting

Prime Minister Robert Abela has asked Konrad Mizzi to resign from the Labour Party parliamentary group, a request the former minister has turned down.

It was Mizzi who took the matter public in a Facebook post, in which he explained his refusal to resign.

“The Prime Minister has asked me not remain part of the PL parliamentary group. While I respect him and the work he is doing for this country, I did not agree that I should resign over allegations and speculations pushed forward by the PL’s adversaries,” Mizzi wrote.

Meanwhile, the PL executive is meeting on Tuesday evening to discuss the matter. Party sources said that Mizzi's removal from the parliamentary group was on the agenda.

Abela had asked anybody who was involved in wrongdoing in the Montenegro wind farm project to resign of their own accord or else he would have to take the necessary decisions.

READ ALSO: ‘If Konrad Mizzi is involved, he either decides for himself or I’ll take a decision’ – Abela on 17 Black

A journalistic investigation revealed last Friday that murder suspect Yorgen Fenech’s 17 Black had profited from Enemalta’s purchase of a wind farm project in Montenegro in 2015. Back then, Mizzi was energy minister.

In his Facebook post, Mizzi denied having had any personal interest in the project.

“I don’t agree that a person should be asked to resign without being given the opportunity to be heard and defend themselves. The democratic and modern credentials of the PL demand a better process,” Mizzi said. He insisted that investigations will prove him right, adding that he agreed that investigations should be carried out expeditiously.

“I insist that Enemalta publicly divulge all the project’s details. Until now it has not done so,” Mizzi said.

He insisted that he will continue to defend himself, while pledging “absolute loyalty” to the PL and the constituents that elected him to parliament.