Updated | Sant reveals Casa ‘suggested’ Leo Brincat should ignore EP vote • PN MEP hits back

The tit-for-tat between the Maltese heads of delegations at the European Parliament has continued to escalate over the recent hours, with Labour MEP Alfred Sant revealing that PN MEP David Casa had actually suggested Leo Brincat “should not bind himself to the vote of the European Parliament”.

The allegation was immediately denied by Casa.

Brincat this week faces the final vote of the Council of Ministers on his nomination to the European Court of Auditors. The Nationalist Party has called on Brincat to withdraw his nomination, whilst urging the government to alternatively nominate the Ombudsman or the Auditor General.

With the government and the Labour MEPs accusing the opposition and the Nationalist MEPs of plotting to undermine the Maltese presidency of the European Council’, Casa accused Sant of “failing to convince” MEPs within the Socialists and Democrats to back Brincat’s nomination.

“If Prime Minister Joseph Muscat proceeds with Brincat’s candidacy it will be an affront to the European Parliament. Your own political group, not just the EPP Group is telling you so. The consequences for Malta’s presidency will be no one’s fault but his own,” Casa said.

The comments raised the ire of Sant, who accused Casa of delivering “malicious and unfounded allegations”.

“The S&D Group voted in its vast majority in favour of Brincat’s nomination. There was unanimous agreement that the S&D vote would be in favour of Brincat and no one objected to this decision,” Sant said.

The former Labour prime minister went on to express his “surprise” at Casa’s statement, revealing that the PN MEP had actually suggested that Brincat should ignore the European Parliament’s vote.

“During the first meeting with Casa at the EP, when when we discussed the appointments between Brincat and members of the European Popular Party (EPP), Mr Casa told me: ‘Leo Brincat shouldn’t repeat Dr Toni Abela’s ‘mistake’ and shouldn’t bind himself to the vote of the European Parliament’.”

Sant went on to add that Casa told him: “Should there be a negative vote in the procedures of the European Parliament, Mr Brincat should make sure to follow his nomination till the very end, pending the decision taken by the Council of Ministers”.

“This is precisely what Leo Brincat is doing: he is following Casa’s advice. It’s unfair to say one thing in private and state the opposite in public,”  Sant added.

In an immediate reaction, Casa rejected giving such advice to Brincat.

"To suggest that I ever advised Brincat that he should proceed with his candidacy after being rejected by the European Parliament is a blatant lie,” Casa said. 

Referring to Sant’s claims of “unwavering Socialist support”, Casa “referred” the Labour MEP to comments by Socialist MEP Ana Gomes, who voted against Brincat.

“Judging by his surprise he clearly must have missed it,” Casa retorted. 

Meanwhile, S&D Head Gianni Pittella deplored the “partisan attitude” of the EPP. Arguing that he did not favour such course of action, Pittella warned that if the EPP “continues to follow this partisan attitude on nominations at the European Parliament, the S&D would be constrained to follow suit”.