Labour claims PN statute ignored as Bencini cannot name party auditor

The Labour Party has claimed the Nationalist Party is now disregarding and contradicting its own statute.

The reaction comes after Labour media revealed Graham Bencini, president of the Nationalist Party’s Administrative Council, does not know who the auditor responsible for examining the PN’s financial accounts is. This comes despite Bencini being the statutorily tasked with appointing that auditor.

This point is outlined in paragraph 71(g) of the Nationalist Party’s statute, which states “the Administrative Council shall also appoint an External Auditor holding a warrant issued in accordance with the Accountancy Profession Act to verify the party’s accounts.”

The Labour Party said the Nationalist Party’s financial situation continues to expose what it describes as the “true colours” of the PN leadership at the party’s headquarters.

It questioned how the public could have confidence that a Nationalist government would honour its promises when, according to it, the party cannot even respect its own General Council members or follow its own statute and internal structures.

Despite pledges by the PN’s CEO Sabine Agius Cabourdin that the party’s accounts will be published by November, they remain unpublished.

The Nationalist leader had pledged to publish the accounts within the first 100 days of his tenure, and officials have insisted he will follow through on his promise.