Rosianne Cutajar breached ethics in Mdina property deal involving Yorgen Fenech

Standards czar George Hyzler has concluded a probe into Rosianne Cutajar’s involvement in a property deal by Yorgen Fenech, and passed it on to the Speaker.

The announcement was made on Friday by independent candidate Arnold Cassola, who had requested the probe last year following a MaltaToday report.

Speaker Anglu Farrugia chairs parliament’s ethics committee that has a final say on the matter.

“Following my complaint to the Commissioner for Standards regarding the non-declaration of Rosianne Cutajar's senserija (brokerage fee) from Yorgen Fenech to Parliament, when she knew that Fenech was a briber of politicians through his secret UAE Company 17 Black, the Commissioner has informed me that he has sent a report to the Speaker in Parliament,” Cassola said in a statement.

It is normal procedure for the commissioner to pass on the report to the speaker, when some form of misconduct is identified.

A decision on whether to publish the report, and what course of action should be taken, will be up to the parliamentary committee for standards in public life.

The committee is made up of Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis and Labour Whip Glenn Beddingfield for the government side, and MPs Karol Aquilina and Therese Comodini Cachia for the Opposition.

“I have no doubt that, as he usually does, Minister Zammit Lewis, who himself is subject of much damning gossip as to what is contained in Yorgen Fenech's whatsapp messages, will do his best to try and minimize the report and to try and hide its contents from the Maltese public and electorate,” Cassola added.

The promise-of-sale was made out in May 2019 with Pierre Lofaro, who appears on behalf of the company Green Eyes Limited. Green Eyes is owned by two fiduciary companies run by Lofaro, but its ultimate beneficial owner is the Mdina property owner, Joe Camilleri.

Yorgen Fenech had already visited the property together with Rosianne Cutajar, who was then an MP, and her close friend Charlie Farrugia ‘it-Tikka’, who became Cutajar’s political aide after she was appointed a junior minister in February 2020.

Rosianne Cuatajr had denied allegations of having pocketed a brokerage fee from a property transaction involving Yorgen Fenech.

She had denied the Mdina property owner Joseph Camilleri’s version of events and warned him not to continue with his “unfounded, malicious and baseless claims” or else face legal action.

Pending the ethics probe, the former parliamentary secretary for reforms had stepped down from her post.

READ ALSO: Yorgen’s €3.1 million Mdina deal, Rosianne Cutajar, and the judge’s husband