Delia to publish declaration of assets and liabilities tomorrow

The leadership contender said that the audited documentation would give a final value for his net worth, taking into account his involvement in Mgarr Developments Limited

Nationalist Party leadership contender Adrian Delia
Nationalist Party leadership contender Adrian Delia

Nationalist Party leadership contender Adrian Delia has said he will be publishing an audited declaration of his assets and liabilities tomorrow.

Speaking at a press conference held outside the Nationalist Party’s headquarters as members of the PN’s parliamentary group started making their way to the headquarters ahead of a meeting this afternoon, Delia said that had submitted all the necessary documentation and had given auditors authorisation to request information on his financial standing.

This, he said, would also take into account his involvement in Mgarr Developments limited, and would allow the auditors to state his net worth.

Delia said that, after to a slow start to the collection of voting documents, the process had picked up significantly in the last day, adding that he expected the total number of voting documents collected to rise to roughly 17,000.

The leadership contender, who had succeeded in mobilising a significant number of Nationalist Party supporters, said he was happy that all those who had encountered difficulty in being issued a vote had had their issues resolved.

“The information I have is that those who came forward with problems and who had made formal complaints were verified and were given the right to vote,” he said.

“Remember that this was the first time that the leadership election was open to so many people, so logistically it wasn’t easy,” added a more conciliatory Delia.

The political newcomer said that he was encouraged to see many people who “weren’t normally the type to attend political activities” move closer to the PN, adding that despite the fact that the PN was at a crossroads, “it certainly isn’t dead nor is it in a worrying state”.

Asked whether he would he would accept the result of the election, Delia insisted that he would always accept the result of a democratic process, and stressed that the election would give a new lease of life and would represent a new beginning” for the party.

Earlier this week, the lawyer representing Delia in his libel cases against Daphne Caruana Galizia, had had his vote taken away after he admitted having been a member of a masonic lodge. Asked for his comments, Delia said he did not feel it was appropriate for him to comment on his lawyer, in the same way that he would not expect his client to comment on him.

If elected, Delia said he would start working to unite the party as the party filled its deputy leader and secretary general roles. Moreover, he said whoever was elected leader would have his work cut out for him given that there were a number of bills to be discussed by parliament, in addition to the upcoming budget.