Simon Busuttil unaware of PN’s financial woes

PN deputy leader says he did not have time to consult accounts in the last four months due to electoral campaign.

Busy campaigning: Simon Busuttil has not yet grappled with the PN's financial dire straits.
Busy campaigning: Simon Busuttil has not yet grappled with the PN's financial dire straits.

The PN's deputy leader and favourite to replace Lawrence Gonzi at the party's helm in the 4 May leadership election, has refused to comment on the party's financial situation.

Despite widespread reports of the party's precarious finances, Simon Busuttil told MaltaToday: "I cannot comment on the situation because I do not have the accounts at hand and I have never seen them."

Asked for his reaction on the party's failure to issue the PN employees' March wages and the possibility of laying-off a number of workers, Busuttil said: "I repeat that I have no comment to make on the situation. I did not have time to see the accounts during the last four months because as you well know I was busy with other things."

He added that he would be asking the PN's administrative council to put the party accounts on the council's next meeting's agenda.

It is understood that Busuttil will be backed by the Nationalist Party's "inner circle" for the leadership of the party.

Outgoing Opposition leader Lawrence Gonzi seems intent on emulating his predecessor Eddie Fenech Adami's move to promote a favourite for succession, as happened in the 2004 party election that saw Gonzi elected over John Dalli through the effective control of the majority of the PN's 900 councillors.

In an interview published on today's edition of sister newspaper Illum, former tourism minister and possible leadership contender Mario de Marco blamed the financial situation on the party's commercial entities, which he insisted, "need to be managed professionally".

"Mature parties should ask themselves whether having a station broadcasting 24/7 is really essential. We cannot escape reality and it's an issue which both parties should discuss together," he said.

In August 2012, the Broadcasting Authority had confirmed that most national broadcasting stations are facing cash flow problems and that this has led to stations falling behind in their licence payments.

It is a well-known fact that most privately-owned television channels, including the political party stations, are in a dire financial situation, and not in a position to pay their television licences to the BA.

While stressing the need to have a party financing law which would reduce the parties' dependency on personal contributions, de Marco said that the political parties should be more transparent when it comes to donations.

Speaking to MaltaToday, Lija mayor and PN secretary-general contender Ian Castaldi Paris said that the party's financial worries confirm the need for a radical reform within the party.

"The responsibility for the financial situation within the PN should be shouldered by the persons who were running the party during the last few years. This is certainly not the right time to reveal such information, because it will discourage people from staying... it looks like sour grapes to me," Castaldi Paris said.

He added that instead of delaying the employees' wages, he expected the party to pay all employees their salaries and an additional bonus for all the hard work the workers put in during the electoral campaign.

"There's nothing new in all this, the financial troubles have been going on for a very long time and it should have been discussed with all members. I would also like to know what kind of debts the party has. If it's just about unpaid water and electricity bills it's a case of mismanagement, but if it's money owed to creditors or down to over-spending during the electoral campaign, it's another thing altogether. I would also expect that the new administration is given a clear and transparent explanation during the handover process."

MaltaToday is informed that both political party stations have not honoured their licence payments for years, but the Broadcasting Authority has failed to reveal stations have not paid their licences, claiming commercial sensitivity.

While former One Television chairman Jason Micallef had told MaltaToday that "everything is in order" with the authority over licence payments, Net Television had failed to answer MaltaToday's questions by the time of going to print.

Former PN treasurer Peter Darmanin refused to comment, telling MaltaToday that he would "say what needs to be said in an appropriate time". Some years ago, after ending his long career as PN treasurer, Darmanin himself was reportedly owed money by the party and only after voicing his discontent did the party pay his wage arrears.

Attempts to contact a number of persons who are being touted as possible candidates for the vacant seats within the PN's higher echelons, such as Beppe Fenech Adami and Chris Said, were unsuccessful.

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GonziPN gave us the impression that they are the glorious party during the election campaign, smiles, cutting ribbons - oh what a successful party. What a charade. Today NET News has only one anchor man and what happened to the second one? Dire financial situation? Of course. Now I am waiting for the Minister of Finance to inform the public in what situation is our national finances. EU listen up.....probably you have the wrong picture what GonziPN used to paint.
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Illum smajt li il HQ tal Pieta hu ghal begh, tajd veru??? Min jaf kemm se jitolbu?? forsi xi 8 miljun Euro!!!
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Zack Depasquale
Mhux Jien, Mhux Jien, Mhux jien Mama, le le mhux jien, Min kisser il-PN ja brikun. Inkisser wahdu Mama. U hallina nghixu Simon ghax dalwaqt tibda tkun maghruf bhalha l-Pilatu tax-xena politika Maltija.Nixtieq inkun naf x kien qieghed jaghmel Vici Kap ta'GonziPN dan l-ilustri.
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Miskin xi triduh jaghmel lil-Simon Busuttil?! Mhux diga qalilna li kieku ried jibqa jigdeb kien jibqa fejn kien?!! Issa mhux il-waqt li jikkummenta li ma jmurx idarras lil min qed jimbuttah biex jilhaq floku u jibqa l-art!
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Mela sewwa l- haddiema tal-PN baqghu b'xejn, waqt li hemm id-diceriji li bloggers li kienu jaghmulha ghassa tal-klikka -iffangaw go eluf ta ewros- bhala hlas ghat-tghajjir li kienu jaghmlu u ghadhom jaghmlu fuq minn ma kienx jaqbel mall-klikka! Dan sew?
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Simon Busullotti hemm bzonn li jinhatar leader tal-pn. Din se tkun garanzija ghal PL li jibqa fil-gvern sa l-ahhar tas-seklu. Hlief ma nafx, m'ghandiex informazzjoni, ma gibtx dettalji u qabda skuzi ohra ma jafx jghid. Taf x'jaf ? Jahrab mir-realta. U biex jigi jghid li l-elezzjoni kienet ga mitlufa qabel dahal hu , lanqas l-akbar idjota ma jiblahha. Ghax nghid jien ghalfejn dahal dan ? Biex joqod jitfanfar li ghamel il-manifesto ta' gonzipn hu ? U wara jahsel idejh izjed minn Pilatu u jahrab mir- responsabilita ghat-telfa katastrofika li garrab hu u il-partit tieghu.Dan minbarra ic-cucati li kien jghid bhal ta' wicc Deborah u li il-medicini fl-isptar jkunu neqsin bhal meta jkollu affarijiet neqsin tal-grocer.
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Mhux jien ,ma nafx,jien għadni gej ftit ġimgħat ilu,mela jien kont naf x'qed jiġri jew,jien kont qed ngħix fis-sħab,jien kont għadni qed insib saqajja fil-partit.Ħafna skuzi banalimin persuna daqstant banali.Imma possibbli,lill dan iridu jagħmlu Kap tal-partit?Jirranġaw ruħħhom jekk jitqannew biħ.Huma qgħedin tajjeb u aktar jiġu ottu.Imma issa bilħaqq,delwaqt ikollhom xi ftit dinosawri oħra biex jikkontestawħ. Financial Meltdown + Political Meltdown = GonziPN insolvent and in Liquidation.
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INBIEREK ALLA DAN SIMON BUSUTTIL MU RESPONSABLI TA XEJN GHARA META QALLI ILPROGRAM ELETTORALI KIEN HU LI GHAMLU INKLUZ IL BADGET IMMA IL BQIJA GO HAJT DOTT COM SHAME ON YOU SIMON GHAX MA TISPRIXXIXMIX XHENA POLITIKA
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Qiesu Aljenu. Qatt ma'jaf xejn fejn jaqbillu.
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What is Simon Busuttil aware off. Possibly he never heard of any financial problems within the party. What has he been doing since he was elected Vici-Kap? Come on get real, you will be dooming the Nationalist Party for more than 5 years in the opposition.
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What is Simon Busuttil aware off. Possibly he never heard of any financial problems within the party. What has he been doing since he was elected Vici-Kap? Come on get real, you will be dooming the Nationalist Party for more than 5 years in the opposition.
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dan il bniedem tlett xadini f wahda!ma nafx xejn,ma rajt xejn u ma smajtx xejn!!!!
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Touting Simon Busuttil as the favourite to lead the PN? after his gaffes during the election campaign? I can't imagine a worse candidate - well, maybe Franco.....
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Jaqaw din xi cajta tal-ewwel t'April?
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simon kull meta il gurnalisti issaqsuh xi haga dejjem johrog bil frasi li jew mandux documenti jew li ma kienx jaf bija jew mandux karti qudimu dejjem xi skuza jew ohra, hekk kien jamel bhala MEP Brussel meta kienu jamlulu xi mistoqsija, u dan jekk ma tafux qiad jipresenta ruhu ghall kap tal PN.