MP files privilege complaint over allegations of Westin meeting with Cachia Caruana

Nationalist MP Francis Zammit Dimech has asked the Speaker of the House to investigation allegations published on Labour internet organ maltastar.com that he held a meeting with Richard Cachia Caruana prior to the discussion of an Opposition motion calling for the latter's resignation.

The government today accused the Opposition of employing "a strategy of falsity" before a meeting of the parliamentary foreign and European affairs committee on Tuesday discusses the Opposition's motion that calls for the resignation of Permanent Representative to the EU, Richard Cachia Caruana.

The motion calls for Cachia Caruana's resignation following his 'behind-the-scenes' role in bringing Malta into Nato's Partnership for Peace in 2008 and bypassing the parliamentary procedure for this decision.

Labour internet organ maltastar.com reported Monday morning that foreign affairs committee chairman Francis Zammit Dimech had been seen meeting Cachia Caruana at the Westin Dragonara hotel in St Julian's, ostensibly in a bid to "coordinate the work of the committee".

Speaking in parliament this evening, Nationalist MP Francis Zammit Dimech branded the news report as a "clear attempt to derail me from my official duty as chairman".

In a statement, the government said the report was deceitful. "The Labour Party media is falsely reporting that Cachia Caruana had a meeting with the chairman of the Foreign and European Affairs committee, Francis Zammit Dimech at a hotel. This rumour has already been denied by Zammit Dimech, however Labour's media has kept repeating the rumour. This shows the Labour Party's deceit," the statement read.

Speaking to MaltaToday, Zammit Dimech said the report was "an absolute lie from beginning to end." He also confirmed that he had already denied the report with the Labour Party's media.

The government statement added: "While the meeting never took place, if it did take place it would have been irrelevant to the committee's discussion. The committee is not a criminal court as the Opposition believes. It is clear that Labour is not interested in the facts and truth."

"The Labour Party believes it can be proven right by turning Parliament into a kangaroo court by fabricating things and stamping its feet," the government said.

Government noted that the Opposition does not have the gall to admit that it did not understand the United States embassy cable published by Wikileaks, and that it had turned towards a strategy of intimidation. "Labour is not capable of being objective. Joseph Muscat wants to turn Parliament back to the state it was in during the seventies and eighties. This is an act of contempt towards Parliament and democracy," the statement said.

Mark Farrugia, a spokesperson for One News, said the breach of privilege complaint was tantamount to a muzzle on the Labour newsroom's work.

"Zammit Dimech is playing with words to confuse people's minds. We invite Zammit Dimech to deny, categorically and unequivocally, that on Sunday he was in the same place with Richard Cachia Caruana, at the same time," Farrugia said.

One News has insisted that the two men were seen together at the Westin Dragonara hotel, St Julian's, just before 5pm.