Franco Debono irked by ‘dirty tricks’ allegation forwarded to PM’s aide

Nationalist backbencher Franco Debono has hit back at PN secretary-general Paul Borg Olivier after he told the Times that the MP's comments on Lawrence Gonzi "were not helpful".

Speaking to MaltaToday, Debono said Borg Olivier had taken a "decision" that caused him "untold harm" by not taking any concrete action to quell the unfounded allegation made by Marsaxlokk activist Hermann Schiavone who made it known to the Prime Minister's chief of staff Edgar Galea Curmi, that he had been the author of an anonymous letter that blocked Schiavone's candidature in 2003.

Debono later forwarded the allegation to the Commissioner of Police "as a note for the record." 

He said the PN's inaction over the allegations made against him had "caused untold harm to my health over the past years, but I never spoke about it in public."

Schiavone had withdrawn his candidacy in 2003 over allegations of abuse made in an anonymous letter addressed to the PN and the Commissioner of Police. His wife Anne ran in his stead, winning 1,244 first preference votes. Franco Debono won 1,130 votes in the 2003 election.

Speaking to MaltaToday, Schiavone would not confirm whether he raised the matter with Galea-Curmi. "I have spoken to Galea-Curmi many times, but I don't know what Debono is talking about."

Schiavone said his relation with Debono was that of a "party colleague and candidate... The reality is that there is competition between party candidates on the same district."

The approval of three prospective candidates on the fifth district had already been put on hold by the party's executive in September 2009, in a bid not to irk Debono after he absented himself during a parliamentary vote, to vote down an amendment moved by the Opposition on the creation of two parliamentary select committees.

The proposed candidates were architect Anthony Bezzina, Hermann Schiavone, and Austin Gatt's head of secretariat Manwel Delia.

In an incident at the PN's Zurrieq club, during a social event for the feast of St Catherine in September 2009, Schiavone and Bezzina were asked to leave the premises, after Franco Debono insisted with the local PN committee that "unapproved candidates" should not be present for the activity. Referring to this incident, Debono said that he had received a formal letter of apology from a certain Lino Busuttil, - at the time secretary to the PN sectional committee in Zurrieq. Bezzina had apologised for the incident and words he may have expressed.

In his comments, Debono added that he had absolutely nothing to do with the Zurrieq club incident, and explained that he had never revealed the details of this incident because he is "not outspoken."

PN secretary-general Paul Borg Olivier has criticised comments made by Debono, who said he will not back the government unless the ministry of justice and home affairs is split by year's end. Borg Olivier told The Times Debono's comments "must have sounded like music to Labour Party ears" and that his behaviour was not acceptable.

In a reaction Debono told MaltaToday that he felt it was odd that Borg Olivier "felt himself at liberty" to comment that he was not being helpful to the party.

"Borg Olivier visited me at home every day, practically sleeping in my kitchen, to convince me not to abstain from voting against Labour's motion against transport minister Austin Gatt," Debono said.

He also said he had a great difficulty in voting in favour of the budgetary vote for the ministry for justice and home affairs, which he said "had a completely wrong attitude to justice and home affairs... it was nothing personal, but I was never in agreement. I declared it publicly, and the current situation shows it."

Debono is insisting that Borg Olivier was at his home when Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi called him to tell him he will be splitting the ministry by year's end. "I told him about it, but after some time he watched it with my parents on NET television on 1 December," Debono said.