Mayor Albert Buttigieg summoned to PN ethics board next Monday

St Julian's mayor Albert Buttigieg has been called to appear before the Nationalist Party's ethics board next Monday to discuss his claims that a high-up party official colluded with a 'fat cat' businessman to sabotage Buttigieg's election campaign. 

According to Lovin Malta, Buttigieg was called on Friday by Professor Joe Pirotta, who chairs the party's ethics, discipline and social media commission. Buttigieg was asked to appear before the board next Monday to answer some questions.

The report indicates that Buttigieg is being summoned to "clarify some issues". 

Earlier this month Buttigieg claimed that his electoral run for a seat in the House could have been dampened by pressures from a "fat cat" businessman with interests in St Julian's. 

He alleged in a Times of Malta opinion piece that a long-standing acquaintance told him that a "senior 'unofficial' party official and a particular fat cat'" had specially requested the party official to "shut me up". 

The meeting with the developer, whom Buttigieg said had vast commercial and construction interests in St Julian’s, took place in a hotel.

Buttigieg had refused to pass on the names of the PN official and businessman to the Nationalist Party for further investigation, arguing that he did not want to compromise the well-being of his source.

Former Nationalist Party official Ray Bezzina, himself a former 'unelected official' had strongly denied that he ever received or entertained requests from any such businessmen to sabotage the candidature of Albert Buttigieg. 

Indeed, Bezzina was the one who asked the PN's ethics commission to investigate the claims made by Buttigieg.