Muscat admits to meeting contractors but denies any wrongdoing

Opposition leader denies making any ‘incorrect’ electoral pledges to contractors.

29 November 2011, 12:00am
by James Debono

2 min read

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi asked Muscat a rhetorical question at the PN general council, asking him whether during meetings held with contractors, he promised them he would issue permits for development immediately after becoming prime minister.

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Opposition leader Joseph Muscat has admitted holding meetings with contractors but denied making "any pledges which are remotely incorrect or cross any legal boundaries.

A party spokesman made it clear: "Muscat has never made any pledges that are remotely incorrect or cross any legal boundaries."

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi asked Muscat 10 questions during his addess to the PN General Council two weeks ago. In one of these questions, Gonzi asked Muscat: "Is it true that during meetings held with contractors, you promised them that you would issue permits for development immediately after you become Prime Minister?"

MaltaToday asked the Labour Party leader whether he had meetings with contractors, whether during these meeting he had discussed and made any pledges on planning permits, what was discussed during the meetings and who had organised them.

Replying on behalf of Muscat, Kurt Farrugia - the PL's Communications Director - confirmed that Muscat has held meetings with contractors.

"As Opposition leader, Joseph Muscat meets people from all walks of life - from workers to self employed, to contractors and businesses."

But Farrugia made it clear that "Muscat has never made any pledges that are remotely incorrect or that cross any legal boundaries."

The PL spokesperson did not reveal what was discussed in the meeting with contractors, and neither did he reveal who organised the meeting.

But he turned the guns on Lawrence Gonzi, noting that it "was under his watch that unsustainable and controversial permits were approved before the 2008 general election, so much so that the MEPA board had to resign in mass".

The case mentioned by Farrugia involved the controversial approval of a supermarket constructed by Polidano Brothers in Safi.

"Neither Muscat nor his wife, were phoning people promising them a review of their pending tax issues if they voted GonziPN."

In his speech on Monday, Muscat promised that he would "talk straight to both developers and environmentalists on the country's priorities" but did not reveal any of these priorities.

The PL spokesperson told MaltaToday that a new Labour government will be fair but "at the same time will not let our country's progress stifled by bureaucracy".

The Prime Minister also asked Muscat whether he has been communicating with heads of government departments (and other key persons in delicate positions) in order to make them spy on their employers and pass on sensitive information.

Asked by MaltaToday whether Muscat had done anything of this sort, Farrugia replied that the opposition leader has contacts "even with people very close to the Prime Minister" but he categorically denied any insinuation that he asked anyone to "spy".

"It is GonziPN which makes use of and thrives on stolen information", Farrugia rebutted.

James Debono is MaltaToday's chief reporter on environment, planning and land use issues, ...

More from James Debono

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Who is silly enough to believe that JM would meet contractors who in their majority are gonziPN contributors and make promises without realizing that they would run to gonziPN with the information? Only a person as silly as gonzi would believe that and say it in public.

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There is always a suspicion that any meeting with whomever will raise concerns over the issues of Party Funding and this one unfortunately will roll on and on and on and on and on until a clear statement and a concise record of these meetings is made available...otherwise the inference will always be there. We already know who three of these Building companies were as they have leaked this to the press already. Any Company that gains prestigious advantage by being a Major Financial Patron to any Poltical Party within 24 months of a General Election has to be brought to task over his motives. What really needs 1to be done is disconnect any individual or group or trust fund or company from bein g party to providing funds to the Political Parties. This has been done before and it works. Germany has done so and there are no external influences that can be gained from such organisations as a result. I read that in Britain they are looking to do the same thing in the near future as well....now that would be a good thing for that country. Mr Leader of the Opposition must now declare who his contacts were himself before the names come out and become published tomorrow. Malta sh

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It's not the PM's prerogative to ask silly questions. The PM should come out with solutions. And it is now useless to to try and portray himself and his party as the holy virgins of politics. Their breath has been smelling foul for quite a long time now.

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Of course let us know which contractor has charged Joseph with making promises. Everyone knows that the majority of contractors are gonzipn contributors. Unless gonzi tells the public which contractor said Joseph made promises then we have every right to call gonzi a LIAR.

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The OPM clearly know what they are talking about. After all they would hate to lose on any potential election funding to the PL.

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This is the Mala Gate (pre-nuptial) agreement scenario that will bring down the Labour Party at a stroke. There is no smoke without fire. All the meetings with the Buiklding Industry and the Labour Party must be declared in the open and monitored. What other things are being agreed at these meetings? Ah yes we hear - only this and that - so let's have it all out in the open. Presumably the Leader is aslo looking for these Companies to assist in Financing the Party as well.

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Who was the one that met with every Tom Jack and Harry 3 days before the elections at a Villa at Naxxar? Who promised permits, promised favuri, and God knows what other inhoklok dahrek ghal vot! Hypocrisy at its worst!

Luke Camilleri •

It is not right that Dr. Joseph Muscat meets with contractors without first seeking permission from Dr. Gonzi himself! Dr. Gonzi should alsobe provided with a trascript of Dr. Muscat's conversations, as He is not able to hack all conversations or e-mails! If Dr. Muscat needs any information, he should just go and do his research in the YELLOW PAGES like Gonzipn Commizzioned agents do...and not have meetings on a one2one basis! That is not permitted for the Leader of the Opposition! Gonzi RULES OK!