AD decry ‘misuse’ of Armed Forces’ aeroplane for EPP benefit

Alternattiva Demokratika's spokesperson for home affairs has questioned the use of an army aircraft for the Prime Minister's visit to the European People's Party conference in Palermo, last year.

The OPM confirmed to newspaper Illum that the army's €9.6 million Hawker Beechcraft King Air, part-funded by the EU's External Borders Fund to aid migration border controls, was used by the prime minister for his EPP junket.

The trip took place on 4 May 2011, at 7:45am.

Carmel Cacopardo, AD spokesman for sustainable development and home

Affairs, stated that if the allegation was correct this would amount to misuse of public property "which instead of being utilized for its proper purpose has been used for the exclusive benefit of a political party."

The EPP conference is a non-state conference, but the OPM said that the prime minister was scheduled to return to Malta that same evening to address a 2,000-person conference for the International Council of Nursing.

Additionally, Air Malta did not operate any flights to Palermo to 4 May, 2011.