Repubblika file police report accusing Prime Minister of accepting bribes after luxury watch gift

Repubblika have filed a police report against Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, accusing him of taking a bribe, corruption and benefitting someone in the award of a public tender.

The NGO said Muscat had not denied a story first published in Lovin Malta two days ago that he had accepted a limited edition Bvlgari watch worth €20,000 in December 2014 from Tumas Group shareholder Yorgen Fenech.

The police report signed by lawyer Jason Azzopardi noted that Fenech had been a shareholder and director in the Electrogas consortium that was awarded the multi-million-euro gas power station tender in December 2013.

The NGO also noted that in December 2014, Electrogas benefitted from a government guarantee to be able to access bank finance.

“Within this context, at a time when Electrogas director, Yorgen Fenech was seeking a bank guarantee from government, the luxury present that he gave to the head of government was a clear indication of a criminal act,” the NGO said.

It also recalled that Muscat never declared this luxury gift in the declaration of assets filed in parliament.