Updated | Opposition leader requests urgent parliamentary discussion on Edward Scicluna

Updated at 3:37pm with request for parliamentary session

Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech has requested an urgent parliamentary session to discuss Edward Scicluna's refusal to step down as Governor of the Central Bank of Malta. 

In a letter to the Speaker of the House, Grech said it is the parliament's duty to ensure that the national interest triumphs over an individual's personal interests.

"Despite 24 hours passing since the court's decree, [Scicluna] has not only remained in his post but informed Labour Party delegates that he will remain in the role for political reasons," Grech said in his letter. 

"Scicluna is refusing to do what is expected of him in these circumstances and even ignoring the Prime Minister. This is unacceptable for the Opposition and shows a lack of serious and strong national leadership."

Parliament can only convene urgent sessions if the two sides of the House agree to do so. Grech asked the Speaker to notify the Leader of the House, Owen Bonnici, so that the request is passed on to the government. 

Earlier on Thursday, Nationalist Party MPs Graham Bencini and Jerome Caruana Cilia said Prime Minister Robert Abela should remove Edward Scicluna from his governorship at the Central Bank of Malta.

During a press conference on Thursday, the two MPs said Abela has failed to act against Edward Scicluna and remove him from his position after being placed under indictment in relation to the Vitals Saga.

"Edward Scicluna has no respect for the Maltese people or the institution he represents. The only thing he respects is his salary,” Bencini said.

The Nationalist Party urged Abela to do all he can to convince Edward Scicluna to step down as Central Bank governor after the court said there is enough evidence to for him and others to stand trial. 

The prime minister should start by officially asking for Scicluna's resignation, shadow finance minister Graham Bencini said.

They also recalled how back in 2020, Scicluna had written an article in the newspaper 'It-Torca' about the ethics of politicians. The Nationalist MPs claimed that Scicluna is going against his own words today.

Since being charged in court last May in connection with the hospitals scandal, Scicluna has maintained his innocence and insisted that neither the government nor the opposition can convince him to resign.

"I will abide by the EU treaties. The Central Bank is an independent institution. We have our own rules,” he said on Thursday.

Economy shadow minister Jerome Caruana Cilia said Scicluna's decision to stay on as governor while facing trial is harming Malta’s name in international banking and financial services.

"Every day that he [Robert Abela] continues to drag his feet, the more damage to Malta’s international reputation,” Economy shadow minister Jerome Caruana Cilia warned.

Scicluna, along with former deputy prime minister Chris Fearne and 12 others, face charges of fraud, misappropriation, and fraudulent gain over the Gozo, Karin Grech, and St Luke's hospitals.