S&D president comes out in defence of Abela Baldacchino

Following days of criticisms leveled by the Nationalist Party against the election of Claudette Abela Baldacchino as member of the European Parliament, S&D President Hannes Swoboda has come out in defence of the Labour MEP.

Baldacchino, formerly Qrendi mayor, is one of several members of the Local Councils Association being accused in court of embezzling EU funds used in the purchase of air tickets for travel to and from Brussels, following a probe by EU anti-fraud agency OLAF.

Reacting to media reports criticising her election, Swoboda issued an official statement, saying that "the presumption of innocence, an integral part of the judiciary tradition in Europe, is valid for every person".

"We look forward to Claudette Abela Baldacchino becoming a member of the S&D Group provided that her parliamentary immunity is lifted, so that the ongoing OLAF investigation can continue without disruption. We welcome the fact that she has already committed to doing so," Swoboda said.

He added that members of the European Parliament must be above reproach in their behaviour.

"The internal rules of our group are very clear: any member who fails to meet the standards of ethical conduct can be expelled," Swoboda said.

The government has already hinted that Abela Baldacchino will not invoke parliamentary immunity to evade prosecution over her fraud charges.