PN says Richard Cachia Caruana is not obliged to present list of witnesses before hearing

Adds comments by PN Executive President Marthese Portelli at 5:01pm

The PN Executive's president Marthese Portelli has informed Richard Cachia Caruana that he is not required to present the list of witnesses he intends to present in his defence during tomorrow's Executive Committee meeting.

The Nationalist Party has also published the letters sent to the five witnesses identified by Pullicino Orlando to appear in front of the PN Executive tomorrow afternoon. The witnesses were asked to appear in front of the committee and present their evidence viva voce.

In a letter sent to Cachia Caruana, the PN Executive president said that MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, "has not followed the procedure" agreed for the hearing because he failed to present a detailed account of his allegations and a list of witnesses and an explanation linking each witness to the accusations and the evidence they will providing.

Pullicino Orlando, is demanding the expulsion of Cachia Caruana on grounds of "collusion" with Labour ministers.

In the letter, which was also copied to the press, Portelli told Cachia Caruana that "as a consequence of Pulicino Orlando's shortcomings you are not obliged to follow point number four (of the agreed procedure), that is presenting a list of witnesses in your defence by Monday 16 July at midday."

However she added "Allow me to make it clear and stress you're your right to defend yourself and present the witnesses you deem necessary - according to the parameters and terms decided by the Executive Committee's motion on the procedure to be followed - is and reamins guaranteed at all stages of the process."

Portelli also noted that Pullicino Orlando's shortcomings have been referred to the PN's Administrative Council to take the neccessery action in the circumstances. MaltaToday is informed that the council will be meeting this afternoon.

Morover, the PN published the letters sent to the witnesses identified by Pullicino Orlando, namely Labour MPs Karmenu Vella and Joe Mizzi, Police Commissioner John Rizzo, EU Commissioner John Dalli and the Prime Minister's communication coordinator Gordon Pisani.

The witnesses were asked by Portelli to appear in front of the PN Executive committee tomorrow at 5:30pm.They were asked to confirm their participation by noon tomorrow.

The letters read "You are being asked to appear in front of the Executive Committee to give your evidence viva voce and with the possibility of being cross-examined on Pullicino Orlando's allegations."

It not yet known whether any of the five witnesses will be showing up for tomorrow's meeting. Police Commissioner John Rizzo has already stated that he does not wish to be embroiled in political issues while Labour MPs Karmenu Vella and Joe Mizzi seem to be reluctant to testify in front of the PN Executive committee.

Asked by MaltaToday whether he will be attending the meeting, Rizzo said "No comment."

Labour MP Joe Mizzi has alleged that Cachia Caruana exerted pressure on him while he was a minister in the 1996-1998 Labour administration to replace the head of the Security Services. He also alleged that Cachia Caruana tried to interfere with the course of justice.

On his part, Vella published a sworn declaration about a meeting he had with Cachia Caruana when he was Tourism minister on the latter's opposition to the decision taken by Air Malta to buy new aircraft in 1996.

Gordon Pisani said last week said that while he was ready to give evidence, he had no clue on why he was being mentioned by Pullicino Orlando in relation to his accusations against Cachia Caruana. 

Despite the confusion surrounding tomorrow's meeting, in comments to MaltaToday, Marthese Portelli said "The meeting will go ahead as planned."

Asked whether EU commissioner John Dalli had replied to the letter inviting him to attend tomorrow meeting, Portelli said she has not received any reply from Dalli and added that an email address has been set up purposely and is being monitored around the clock.

Pullicino Orlando voted with the Opposition in a motion of no-confidence that led to the resignation of Cachia Caruana, a chief PN strategist, from the post of permanent representative to the EU, a move which culminated in his official ban from the PN ticket.

On Friday, the MP sent a letter to Portelli to inform her that he will be convening Commissioner of Police John Rizzo, EU Commissioner and former PN minister John Dalli, and the Prime Minister's head of communications Gordon Pisani to corroborate his accusation that Cachia Caruana "fomented unrest which led to the difficulties faced by Lawrence Gonzi, within the party and in Parliament."

He added that Labour MPs Karmenu Vella and John Mizzi will be convened as witnesses to substantiate his accusation that Cachia Caruana colluded with high-ranking members of the Alfred Sant administration between 1996 and 1998 "in an attempt at furthering 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."

Pullicino Orlando has also accused Cachia Caruana of having colluded with foreign, high-ranking officials to bypass the PN parliamentary group and the House of Representatives - ostensibly over the reactivation of Malta's participation in Partnership for Peace in 2008, which was the subject of the Opposition motion that cost the former ambassador his Brussels post.