Labour accuses PN of ‘inconsistency in their lies’

The Labour Party has categorically denied statements made by Nationalist MPs Beppe Fenech Adami and Francis Zammit Dimech accusing Labour leader Joseph Muscat of having been the source of information to the PN that made the party aware of the Mistra scandal that was about to erupt in the last days of the 2008 elections campaign.

Speaking on One TV's Issues, Fenech Adami alleged Muscat had leaked the story to the PN media.

"Do you know who leaked the Mistra story to the PN? Do you know who? It was Joseph Muscat. Joseph Muscat was the one who leaked the story," Fenech Adami insisted.

On the other hand, Zammit Dimech said: "The source of information to the PN with regards to identifying Pullicino Orlando as being the intended target of the PL in the last days of 2008 electoral campaign was none other than Joseph Muscat."

Zammit Dimech was appearing on TVM's Realta.

In a reaction, the PL accused the two MPs of "inconsistency in their lies".

"GonziPN is in such a state of confusion that two of its MPs cannot even be consistent in their lies," the PL's spokesman told MaltaToday.

"Beppe Fenech Adami and Francis Zammit Dimech gave two different versions of the same lie. It's ironic that this 'leak' claim is being done on the same day GonziPN media are carrying a selectively leaked story attacking its own MP, Jeffery Pullicino Orlando."

The PL was referring to a leaked transcript of an alleged telephone conversation between Gordon Pisani, who was deputy secretary-general during the 2008 elections, and MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando.

The transcript, presented to the PN's executive which yesterday exonerated its chief party strategist Richard Cachia Caruana from accusations of collusion by Pullicino Orlando, is dated Thursday, 6 March 2008 - the eve of the day of reflection prior to the election voting day.

The transcript seeks to reinforce a portrayal of Pullicino Orlando, first made by Cachia Caruana in an interview to The Times, as having 'misled' the party when he did not reveal beforehand his €1.9 million contract that was the subject of corruption allegations by Alfred Sant.

Both Zammit Dimech and Fenech Adami did not delve into the specifics of their claims. However, when contacted by MaltaToday to state where, when and how the alleged leak was made, Zammit Dimech insisted that in the coming days the PN would be "publishing proof of this". Attempts to contact Fenech Adami proved to be futile.