Muscat says Cachia Caruana 'ingratiated himself' with Labour government

Opposition leader Joseph Muscat said that Richard Cachia Caruana "tried to ingratiate with exponents of the 1996-1998 Labour government."

He said this on TVM's Dissett anchored by Reno Bugeja. The interview will be aired tomorrow evening, however a short clip was broadcast tonight on TVM news.

Muscat said this in reply to a question on whether he had undertaken some kind of internal investigation following the allegations by Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando who implied that the outgoing ambassador Cachia Caruana colluded with high-ranking members of the Labour administration.

The Labour leader replied in the affirmative and said "I have conducted investigations and after speaking with a number of persons involved in the Labour government it results that Mr Cachia Caruana tried to ingratiate with exponents of the 1996-1998 Labour government. But he did not necessarily succeed."

He stressed that he has not been in contact with Pullicino Orlando over this matter and said that it is up to the Nationalist Party to tackle its MP's allegations.

Muscat said that Cachia Caruana tried to do so on a number of occasions but he refused to divulge more information when asked who the exponents were.

When asked whether the exponents were ministers of the Labour administration Muscat said "They were officials. I will not add anything else."

Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando issued a statement on 26 June asking the PN to expel one its chief party strategists, Richard Cachia Caruana for colluding with high-ranking members of the Labour administration led by former Labour prime minister Alfred Sant "between 1996 and 1998 in an attempt to further his personal interests whilst putting his colleagues in the Nationalist administration led by Dr Eddie Fenech Adami between 1987 and 1996 in a bad light."

After getting embroiled in a war of words with the party, Pullicino Orlando alleged that "Cachia Caruana organised encounters with high ranking officials in the Sant administration after the 1996 elections in an attempt at putting his colleagues in the Nationalist administration in a bad light whilst trying to curry favour with Labourite officials."

Pullicino Orlando has asked the PN executive to place this "matter of great importance" on the agenda of this Thursday's meeting of the executive committee.

The rebel MP said that he will be in a position to amplify on this issue during the executive's meeting, during which he plans on presenting "irrefutable evidence to support" his allegations.