Former Grech aide Ray Bezzina denies sabotage claims, seeks internal investigation

Former Nationalist Party official, Ray Bezzina has denied he ever received or entertained requests from any ‘fat cat’ to sabotage the candidature of Albert Buttigieg.

In a strongly-worded letter, Bezzina has asked the PN’s ethics commission to investigate the claims made by Buttigieg.

Bezzina said that although Buttigieg did not mention any names in the opinion published on Friday, the words ‘unelected official’ have been widely interpreted as a reference to him. One such conclusion was reached by independent candidate Arnold Cassola, who suggested that the unnamed official could have been Bezzina, who joined the DB Group after resigning from the PN following the election.

Buttigieg, who is the mayor of St Julian’s, claimed in an opinion piece in the Times of Malta that his general election run was sabotaged by an unelected PN official on the request of a 'fat cat'. Buttigieg has refused to name either the official or the businessperson who allegedly made the request despite being asked to substantiate his claims.

Albert Buttigieg

READ ALSO: St Julian's mayor refuses to name 'fat cat' and unelected official for PN investigation

Bezzina was Bernard Grech’s chief of staff, an unelected but influential post within the party, for the past two years.

As a PN member and a former ‘unelected official’, Bezzina said he was asking for the investigation so that whoever has any information on such “serious claims” stops hiding behind sources and ensures the facts are made known.

“Who has serious information like this and keeps it to himself is an accomplice,” Bezzina wrote.

He flatly denied that he ever considered or accepted an offer of the sort implied by Buttigieg and denied that any such offer was ever made to him.

Campaign intended to hurt Bernard Grech

Contacted by MaltaToday, Bezzina said the allegations are an attempt at mud-throwing intended to hurt Bernard Grech.

“This is indiscriminate mud-throwing that is killing politics in this country and this is why I wrote to the PN’s ethics commission as a party member and former unelected official, asking them to carry out an investigation into the claims,” he said.

Bezzina insisted that nobody has ever offered him money, a job or gifts to sabotage anybody’s candidature or tie his hands.

We cannot bring out a machine gun or a bazooka and shoot at everybody indiscriminately Ray Bezzina

“It is also unfair to lump all businesspeople in the same basket. We should criticise where and when necessary, canvass for justice but we cannot bring out a machine gun or a bazooka and shoot at everybody indiscriminately,” he said.

Asked about his employment with the DB Group, a major business operator that was embroiled in controversy over the ITS project, just after resigning from the PN, Bezzina said he can understand the criticism levelled towards him.

“I can totally understand the criticism and the negative perceptions this can create but it is absurd, untrue and a lie to link my employment in any way with some promise that I gave as a party official to sabotage someone’s candidature,” Bezzina said.

Photo montage of the City Centre project proposed by the DB Group in Pembroke, which was opposed by the Pembroke, Swieqi and St Julian's local councils

He insisted that in his role within the PN he never tried to influence locally elected party officials to drop objections against the DB project.

“I never asked Albert Buttigieg, or the Swieqi mayor for that matter, to drop any objection against the DB project in Pembroke, and never had any such request from the developer either,” Bezzina said.

He explained that he had been clear with Bernard Grech from the start that irrespective of whether the PN would win or lose the election, he would be moving away from the party. He insisted that his intention was never to be a candidate or seek an elected post. “I joined the PN in its hour of need because I wanted to help even though I was aware this was a sinking ship.”

‘Lies and lies’

Bezzina was unforgiving over the allegations made by Buttigieg, which he said followed similar claims made by Jason Azzopardi, who was not elected in March.

“It cannot be that whoever was not elected has to blame someone for the unfavourable outcome. This also applies to some on the Labour side. Sometimes, you have to admit that either your candidature was lame, or people perceive you as a local candidate, or that voters simply do not want you,” he said.

Jason Azzopardi

Asked whether he had been present in any meeting with businesspersons where suggestions were floated that the candidatures of Buttigieg and Azzopardi should be stopped, Bezzina was emphatic: “No, no, no, no.”

“But even if this were true, which it isn’t, what type of deal would that be? It simply does not make sense because nobody has control on how people will vote, or the outcome of casual elections. They are simply lies and lies. Jason [Azzopardi] said it first and now we have the same song being played again by Albert [Buttigieg].”

Bezzina believes the “story”, as he called it, is built purposely not to be confirmed. “The claims quote unknown individuals, who heard conversations between an unnamed unelected official and an anonymous fat cat. It is simply an exercise to throw mud on me and others. This is unfair and angers me.”

Campaign choices

Asked about the claims that some candidates may have been side-lined or not given adequate exposure, Bezzina said in all election campaigns, every political party makes such choices.

“You choose those who can best represent the message and who can best relate to people,” he explained. “Could Albert Buttigieg have appeared more? Yes. The campaign was designed around other people. I accept criticism that the choices may have been mistaken but that these were influenced by some promise of money, jobs or gifts is a complete lie.”

Bezzina quoted from past political experience with then minister George Pullicino back in 2008.

Former PN minister George Pullicino in whose secretariat Ray Bezzina served

“Lawrence Gonzi’s decision in the 2008 election to pledge that he will be taking the planning authority under his wing if elected back to government was interpreted as a rebuke of Pullicino’s work in the previous legislature. George did not sulk but worked harder in the district and still got elected. This happens all the time in politics. In the 2017 election, Jason Azzopardi was one of the faces of the PN campaign,” he said.

Bezzina added that the first time he spoke to Albert Buttigieg was when he contacted him about a number of complaints the party was receiving about his leadership in St Julian’s.

“I asked him why he was the mayor about whom the party was receiving most complaints from residents. He had answered that St Julian’s was a tourist area with a high population density and a high rate of construction. I pointed out to him that Sliema, a PN-run locality, had similar characteristics but the party did not receive as many complaints. The complaints related to his heavy-handedness over minor infringements such as residents obtaining a permit to block two parking spaces for a lifter and instead taking up three slots.”

Bezzina said he is angered about the allegations, which he insisted only serve to push people away from politics. “I’ve taken wrong decisions during my time in politics and can be criticised for this. It is something I accept. But that I am corrupt, I will not accept. What do I get if instead of Albert Buttigieg, Grahan Bencini or Eve Borg Bonello is elected?”

He argued that politics could be a perfect vehicle for change and there are MPs and officials in both parties who genuinely contribute because they believe they can bring about change.