PN formally abandons disciplinary action against Simon Busuttil in symbolic gesture

The Nationalist Party has confirmed there are no plans to proceed with internal disciplinary action against its former leader Simon Busuttil in a symbolic gesture requested by Bernard Grech.

In the summer of 2018, then PN leader Adrian Delia asked Busuttil to suspend himself from the parliamentary group after the Egrant magisterial inquiry report conclusions were published. Delia also wanted the administrative committee to take internal action against Busuttil after he resisted. Eventually, Delia had to back down in the wake of a revolt by MPs.

The PN administrative council at the time had come out backing Delia.

The Egrant inquiry dismissed claims that Busuttil made during the 2017 general election campaign that former prime minister Joseph Muscat's wife, Michelle, owned the Panama company Egrant and she had received payments from the Azeri ruling family.

The issue within the PN has long been dead and buried but in a symbolic gesture to formally close the matter, leader Bernard Grech asked the administrative council to pronounce itself on the matter.

In a statement on Friday, the PN said that "there is no intention to start any internal procedures against Simon Busuttil". It added that the decision was taken in the wake of public statements made by Delia in 2018.

The party expressed its gratitude towards the work that Busuttil did during his four-year spell as party leader and praised his fight against corruption.