Repubblika says Adrian Delia must go if he had inappropriate conversations with Yorgen Fenech

Former Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia should end his political career if he had inappropriate conversations with murder suspect Yorgen Fenech, anti-corruption group Repubblika said.

The group was reacting to a story that appeared in Lovin Malta, which reported that in a WhatsApp exchange with a businesswoman, Fenech boasted of his political connections. The news portal reported Fenech’s claim that during an urgent parliamentary debate on 17 Black in November 2018, Delia had messaged him with concerns over Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar’s overly emotional intervention.

Delia has denied the claim.

The debate held on 12 November 2018 had been requested by Delia, then Opposition leader, shortly after a joint investigation between Reuters and Times of Malta outed Fenech as the owner of Dubai company 17 Black.

Repubblika said that just as it has been calling for Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis’s resignation following the publication of a raft of exchanges with Fenech after it was known he owned 17 Black, it will do the same with Delia.

“Repubblika strongly believes that if it results that inappropriate conversations did take place between Dr Delia and Yorgen Fenech, Adrian Delia should end his involvement in public life,” the group said in a short statement on Tuesday.

17 Black was mentioned in the Panama Papers as one of two companies that had to pay large sums of money to the Panama companies of Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri.

READ ALSO: ‘How are you holding up?’: March 2019 WhatsApp chat between Fenech and Delia