MP says Muscat must take steps against former party treasurer

Shadow minister for home affairs Jason Azzopardi has called on Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to take steps against Gozo Channel chairman Joe Cordina, who was reported by The Times to be facing charges by the police.

The temporary disappearance of €4,000 from Gozo Channel ticket sales was only reported to the police two weeks after the incident. The story dates back to June 25 when an envelope with €4,000 went missing from a ticket booth, although it was later returned.

The Times reported that the police had since filed charges against Gozo Channel employee Joseph Portelli; while it was said that Cordina had specifically ordered company employees not to involve the police.

“Cordina himself admitted with the newspaper that he hid the theft from the police, and asked that the case be investigated only after it was revealed by Newsbook.com.mt,” Azzopardi said.

“It is clear that had the media not revealed the case, there would have never been any investigation. Once again, the people expects the seriousness and accountability promised by the prime minister during the general election.”

Cordina was formerly a Xaghra mayor and a treasurer of the Labour Party, before resigning his candidature during the 2013 general elections, when it was revealed that his company had provided name-lending services to oil trader George Farrugia.

Labour’s financial administrator was sucked into the oil scandal as one of three directors of Intershore Fiduciary, which acted as shareholder and director of George Farrugia’s company, Aikon Ltd. The fiduciary was first accused of playing a part in Aikon Ltd's defrauding of John's Group, Farrugia's family business; but it then resulted that Farrugia had hid from Intershore's directors all evidence of tax fraud and corruption, by channelling certain transactions through a New York account, which was hidden from the auditor and the directors of the fiduciary. In court, the police said that Mr Farrugia had admitted that the directors of the fiduciary company knew nothing of his illegal activity