Salvu Mallia says de Marco ‘a dead branch that must be cut off’

Typically outspoken PN candidate Salvu Mallia has suggested that Mario de Marco must resign, describing the deputy leader as a “dead branch that must be cut off and thrown into the fire”.

"Simon [Busuttil] must be decisive if he wants to be believed...dead branches must be cut off and thrown into the fire," he said in a Facebook comment in the wake of revelations that de Marco’s legal firm had served as advisors to Silvio Debono’s DB Group on its St George’s project.

De Marco has confirmed with MaltaToday that he had personally attended several meetings dealing with the concession of the public land currently occupied by the Institute of Tourism Studies, which DB plans to develop into a Hard Rock Hotel and luxury real estate site.

His role as advisor is controversial given that Opposition leader Simon Busuttil has questioned the fairness of the cash payment that DB will be paying for the ITS land: a €5 million down payment, and then a €10 million payment interest-free, payable over seven annual installments.

He has since renounced his position as part of the legal team, a move that earned him the praise of Busuttil. However, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat seized on the criticism against de Marco by PN candidates and supporters to stir rumours of a rift within the Nationalist Party.

Indeed, Mallia was reacting to a Facebook status by fellow election candidate and popular radio host David Thake that “you cannot run with the hares and hunt with the hounds” – a clear allusion to de Marco.

Malta Independent columnist Daphne Caruana Galizia has also urged De Marco to step down as deputy leader in the wake of the revelations.

“Giving up the brief is not enough to make people comfortable,” she wrote in her blog, “When you’ve worked for somebody for four years, you build up a relationship with them, and they have a hotline to you. They also have influence over you, and most importantly, they have access. This is all wrong.”