Delia satisfied with PN ‘due diligence’ that regurgitated press reports

Opposition leader Adrian Delia has declared it is unacceptable for any politician to have any illegal or unethical activity, a situation that would merit immediate resignation.

But he said it was not a situation that applied to him, in a defence against doubts on his validity as incumbent for the PN leadership.

Delia and his rival Bernard Grech emerged unscathed from a due diligence report by the PN, that assessed their candidatures based on open sources and media reports on their financial affairs.

“I don’t think it was a farce,” he said, in a reply to MaltaToday on the quality of the report during the launch of his candidature. “I think it is conclusive. Journalists can question me on these findings. Nobody came forward with any evidence of wrongdoing.”

Delia said he had sought tax compliance certification that showed he had declared his income in full every year, but said his tax payment had been delayed the year that he had to file for separation from his wife. “If you had to compared the tax I paid, when compared to the declared incomes of others, you’d understand what I did to be transparent and without tax problems.”

Delia said he wanted to introduce a structure inside the PN that can educate and guide members on how to behave on social media.

“Let’s not use social media to attach each other. We should be helping people – that’s should be our message. We must extricate ourselves from tribal politics. Politics is not won by chest-beating and slander, but through debate and dialogue. I am addressing PN members: stop the hate.”

In a Facebook post, Delia said that 1,643 individuals signed off his nomination.