[WATCH] David Thake implies that Adrian Delia should resign to clear his name

David Thake implies Delia should resign to clear his name

Politicians should resign to be able to clear their names from persistent allegations, David Thake has said, implying that Adrian Delia should do likewise.

The Nationalist Party MP said he will not be the one to tell the Opposition leader what to do, in comments to the media just after testifying in a magisterial inquiry probing claims that the party had been offered cash by Yorgen Fenech to block David Casa’s re-election.

But Thake insisted that political responsibility demanded that anyone in public office facing persistent allegations of wrongdoing should resign to defend themselves without tarnishing the office they hold.

Thake testified in front of Magistrate Doreen Clarke. She is looking into the possibility of criminal influence in last year’s European Parliament election.

Delia has rejected the allegations outright in a sworn affidavit.

The magistrate is probing different claims related to the same alleged incident.

The first claim was made by Thake during a Xarabank programme in June last year when he asked Delia whether he knew that the PN had been offered €50,000 by Fenech to prevent Casa's re-election. Delia had answered that he was unaware of the claim and asked Thake to go to the police with it.

This was repeated this month by Daphne Caruana Galizia middleman Melvin Theuma, who testified in the public inquiry that Delia had been offered money by Fenech to halt Casa's re-election.

However, this week, Joseph Muscat former chief of staff Keith Schembri, testifying in the compilation of evidence against Fenech, said the businessman had told him that Delia asked for €50,000 in exchange for obstructing Casa's re-election attempt.

Schembri also said that former PN head of media Pierre Portelli would regularly collect €20,000 payments from Fenech.

ONE TV presenter Karl Stagno Navarra alleged on his Pjazza programme that Fenech had offered Delia €250,000 to stop Casa's re-election.

Stagno Navarra also testified in front of the magistrate today.

Delia, Portelli, Fenech and Schembri are all expected to be summoned at some point by the magistrate to testify.

Meanwhile, the police have initiated a parallel investigation on the matter.

Portelli has also rejected the claims in a sworn affidavit.