Updated | Gozo minister shrugs off Busuttil’s call for his resignation

Gozo minister Anton Refalo has dismissed Opposition leader Simon Busuttil’s call on him to resign, over MaltaToday’s revelations that he was involved in a traffic accident while driving with an expired insurance and car license.

Addressing the party faithful at Haz-Zebbug, Busuttil noted that the PN’s mayor of Victoria Samuel Azzopardi recently resigned his office, pending court proceedings over a traffic accident last week.

“Azzopardi’s reaction was a clear example of political maturity and correct behaviour,” Busuttil said. “On the other hand, Refalo has remained in his position. Indeed, he didn’t have the decency to admit that he was involved in the accident last month, and we only found out through the media.”

He said that the contrasting reactions of Azzopardi and Refalo reflect the different political standards between the PN and the PL.

“We want to send a message that there is a light at the end of this dark tunnel,” Busuttil said. “We want to show the people that there is a light they can reach out to, a light of cleanliness and truth. The truth will triumph over lies.”

However, Refalo in a statement urged Busuttil to “maintain a sense of proportion”, noting that Azzopardi will be arraigned following a traffic accident during which he refused to take a breathalyser test.

Refalo had told MaltaToday that he had paid his insurance but that his insurance agency had failed to process the car license renewal with Transport Malta. Correspondence seen by MaltaToday shows that the police sought the advice of the Attorney General on how to proceed on the case.

AG Peter Grech informed the police commissioner that since the insurance fee was paid six days before the accident, the only offence was the failure to have a renewed driver’s license.

Cassar instructed the police in Gozo to follow the AG’s advice and issue a fine.

“Busuttil wants me to resign over a small crash and a traffic fine, and is trying to compare this trivial case to that of Azzopardi, who is facing charges of driving under the influence of alcohol,” Refalo said.

The Nationalist Party later retorted that Refalo had concealed the fact that he had broken the law for over a month and questioned why the minister's case was dealt with by the police, rather than by wardens - who typically handle traffic accident incidents in which no injuries are sustained. 

The PN leader focused the major part of his speech on the ‘Panamagate’ scandal – that revealed that energy minister Konrad Mizzi and OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri own offshore companies in Panama.

He cited leaked emails that show that Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca set up three companies at Nexia’s bequest –Tillgate, owned by Keith Schembri, Hearnville, owned by Konrad Mizzi, and a third company, Egrant, whose owner remains unknown.

“Who does this third company belong to and why didn’t Joseph Muscat ask Mizzi and Schembri about it?” he asked. “Since Muscat isn’t asking such a basic and obvious question, then the Opposition will continue applying pressure until we get an answer.”

He hit out at Labour for “launching phenomenal attacks” on PN deputy leaders Beppe Fenech Adami and Mario de Marco over works on their properties, noting that they both recently underwent cancer operations.

“It is normal for politicians to get attacked by the other side, but it is utterly immoral and shameful to spread lies about people who are passing through such difficult health conditions,” he said. “Such attacks have downgraded local politics to their lowest levels in history.”

He urged Labour to redirect their guns from his deputy leaders to himself.

“Attack me if you want, but leave Beppe and Mario out of it because they are in difficult situations. However, no attacks, insults or intimidation will scare me – because my weapon is the truth and the truth will triumph.”

In a reaction later on, the Labour Party noted that MaltaToday’s survey – that shows Muscat widening the trust gap between himself and Busuttil by four points since March – is proof that the public is rejecting the PN leader’s “negative style”.

“Busuttil said that he will continue applying pressure, even though the government clearly won a confidence vote that Busuttil had instigated himself,” the PL said. “This goes to show how bitter he is, that he is choosing to ignore the results of a democratic vote in Parliament.” 

‘Muscat is completely detached from reality’

Busuttil insisted that Joseph Muscat is detached from reality, while the Opposition has its finger on the public pulse.

“There are two versions of reality out there – the true version that a minister and a chief of staff were caught owning secret companies in Panama, and Muscat’s invented version that everything is fine.

“People who work in the financial services industry are now being asked by clients abroad about the allegations of corruption against high officials in Malta. These professionals are angry at seeing their jobs threatened because of the irresponsibility of Mizzi, Schembri and Muscat. People who are grounded in reality, who understand public sentiment and who speak to the people know all of this.”

He accused Muscat of acting aggressively in his speech in Parliament during Monday’s failed vote of no confidence in the government.

“It was as though he had a machine gun and started shooting at us…politically,” he said, taking a jab at comments passed by economy minister Chris Cardona. “Or it was as though he started beating us with a hammer, taking his minister’s advice.”

Busuttil called on Labour ministers and MPs to support a vote of no confidence against Konrad Mizzi that has been tabled by independent MP Marlene Farrugia.

“I hope that those ministers who said that Mizzi should resign will now stick to their words,” he said, while condemning Muscat for refusing to give his MPs a free vote on the motion as it is not a “matter of conscience”.

“Only a person without a conscience can say that this vote is not a matter of conscience,” Busuttil said. “This vote is about good versus bad, clearly a vote of conscience.

“Labourites are following the situation closely and they know who is behaving well and who is behaving wrongly. They know who is telling the truth and who is lying.”