PN slams Abela for using Karl Gouder's death to deviate attention

The Nationalist Party has strongly condemned Prime Minister Robert Abela’s speech during a Labour Party event, accusing him of exploiting the death of Karl Gouder to deflect attention from the scandals surrounding his government.

In a statement, the PN described Abela’s comments as “disgusting, dangerous, and irresponsible,” asserting that the Prime Minister’s intent was to divert public scrutiny from allegations of corruption involving his administration.

During his speech, Abela spoke of a “trap” laid out by the PN.

He said that after meeting the PN’s administration over coffee, Grech went to report  Abela and “implicated him in someone’s death.” The Prime Minister gave no other details, other than the fact that he was summoned to testify by the police’s homicide squad.

MaltaToday understands that the episode centred around a meeting between the two parties’ administrations following Karl Gouder’s death. 

“During the meeting, Daniel Micallef spoke of rumours that Karl’s death was linked to extortion,” one source privy to the meeting said. 

Speaking to MaltaToday, the source explained that at that moment, Abela said “Those aren’t rumours. That’s a matter of fact and there’s proof.”

After the meeting, a number of people within the PN were summoned as witnesses in the magisterial inquiry into Gouder’s death, as the Prime Minister’s comments were flagged to the inquiring magistrate, prompting Abela to be summoned to testify.

In their statement, the PN claimed that Abela’s actions reflect a willingness to manipulate even the most sensitive and personal tragedies to protect his position. “Robert Abela shows no respect for anyone, not even for the deceased and their families,” the statement read.

Reaffirming its solidarity with Karl Gouder’s family, the PN called for anyone with relevant information to cooperate directly with the Magistrate leading the ongoing inquiry into the circumstances of Gouder’s death.

PL doubles down

In a statement later on Sunday, the PL said that the leader of the opposition resorted to "dangerous and vile tactics to gain political advantage."

The governing party said that Abela only spoke factually, reiterating that Grech's communication with the inquiring magistrate is "cruel."

The party also noted that Abela did not mention Gouder by name out of respect to his family.

Bickering continues

Throughout Sunday, the two main parties continued to trade barbs through press statements.

The opposition stated that Abela was obliged to inform the inquiring magistrate of the information he said he possessed. The PN said that its officials had informed the inquiring magistrate of Abela's statement, adding that the Prime Minister had continued to spread what he knew to others. 

In response, the PL said that the PN is trying to associate Abela with someone's death so that Bernard Grech can seize power. The governing party said that the PN's latest statement confirms that Grech "reported" Abela to the inquiring magistrate.

The PL questioned why Grech didn't inform the public about his actions, ominously adding, "Even this time, the whole truth will come out."