The dirty political implications of the Yorgen-Rosianne chats

The Rosianne Cutajar-Yorgen Fenech chats are scandalous. Not because of the explicit language or the sexual connotations of the context. We are all human beings, with our failings. Let us be frank. Who of us has not talked sex or uttered the odd swear word here and there? 

What is scandalous are the dirty dealings going on behind our back in the political and business arena. 

The chats revealed cryptic talk of the type: ‘Shall we meet for lunch with Tikka? Yes, 1pm at BOV.’ 

Tikka is Charles Farrugia, Cutajar’s principle canvasser. 

As far as I know, BOV does not run a 12-star Michelin restaurant, the type Yorgen Fenech is used to frequent. And, in 2019, a 30-year-old Maltese woman having a secret affair with a rich married businessman does not take with her a chaperone. Could this be a message in code for something more sinister? 

We learnt that in June 2019 a secret admirer gifted Rosianne Cutajar an expensive Bulgari handbag, using Farrugia’s services. On 18 June, the MP learned that the anonymous donor was Yorgen Fenech. 

We also learnt that Rosianne was gifted €9,000 in cash by Yorgen and that he bought her a designer signed orange jacket and another white one. None of these gifts were declared in her parliamentary asset declarations and in the case of cash, neither in her income tax return. 

A week after these gifts, Rosianne travelled to Strasbourg to the Council of Europe Assembly, where she did her utmost to get Yorgen's 17Black taken off the resolution on Malta. 

On 18 June 2019, Yorgen promised Rosianne, ‘Illum nghidlek 100% (Today I’ll tell you 100%)’ who was going to be appointed European Commissioner by the Maltese government. Helena Dalli was appointed on 24 July. How would Yorgen know before of secret Cabinet decisions? 

Yorgen even reassured Rosianne that she and Edward Zammit Lewis would form part of the planned Cabinet reshuffle that would follow Dalli’s move to Brussels. Who was giving Yorgen this information? 

In July 2019, Rosianne admitted that at the Council of Europe, after she had done her best to protect Yorgen, everyone was insulting her because of then minister Chris Cardona. She expressed surprise Joseph Muscat was not doing anything about it. 

But the chats also show how Yorgen acted as some sort of advisor to then minister Konrad Mizzi. On 7 November 2019, he told Rosianne that he ‘opened Konrad’s eyes’. 

The chats also revealed how Yorgen was furious over Chris Cardona’s handling of the Dragonara casino concession. Fenech was interested in it but from the chats it seems Cardona, who was minister for the economy at the time, played the double game with Yorgen. In the end, the concession was given to Yorgen's rivals. 

Yorgen was furious at what he considered to be Cardona's betrayal and he informed Rosianne that he will punch the minister so hard that he will not forget it. 

The cherry on the cake would be Rosianne’s anger at not being appointed minister. She decided to grant herself a useless €27,000-a-year consultancy, compliments of her friend Pierre Fenech, the ITS CEO. 

Rosianne aptly admitted to Yorgen that everyone was like ‘a pig at the trough’ and she would be doing the same.