Labour challenges Gonzi to come clean on Brazilian company

The Prime Minister's credibility is at stake, the Labour Party said today as it challenged the Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi to be honest and answer questions on the Brazilian company which has found itself in the middle of a political controversy in Malta.

"I ask the Prime Minister to tell us the truth. H has to confirm whether the company in questrion is called Odebrecht Solutions Malta Ltd and why its has fired the four employees it had in Malta," Labour MP Chris Cardona said.

During the Xarabank debate on Friday, Opposition leader Joseph Muscat said that despite talks of a Brazilian aviation company that was meant to set up shop in Malta, this investment never took place.

Since then, the Prime Minister said the company is a construction services company which moved its offices to Malta. However he failed to name the company or reveal how many employees it has engaged.

In a press conference held on Thursday, Labour MPs Gino Cauchi and Chris Cardona challenged Gonzi to confirm whether the company's name is Odebrecht as has been suggested in the media and whether it has fired the four employees which manned an office in Sliema.

Labour is upping the ante on this saga in a clear attempt to neutralise the Prime Minister's 'successful' performance on Xarabank.

Cauchi explained that in June he tabled a parliamentary question on the company but Gonzi failed to provide an answer. The Labour MP added that he has re-laid the question and expected the Prime Minister to provide an answer immediately.

Cauci said that the Prime Minister's claims that the company in question was re-locating its headquarters to Malta had been contradicted by the finance Minister Tonio Fenech, who said that the office had merely set-up a back office in Sliema. 

On his part, Cardona said that the Gonzi's credibility is at stake because he chose to score political points and make up a story on Xarabnak while he was aware that this company shut down operations in Malta."