PN insists Muscat cannot ‘remain silent on Mallia’s lies’

The Nationalist Party has insisted that the statement issued by the Minister for Home Affairs in reaction to the security clearance of AFM commander Jeffrey Curmi and his deputy Mark Mallia was “a lie”.

Earlier today, the PN accused Manuel Mallia of lying when last year he stated that officers promoted within the AFM had been security cleared. But documents in MaltaToday’s possession show a request made by the Malta Security Service to Maltese banks dated 18 February 2014 requesting a “credit status report” in the names of Curmi and Mallia, “as part of a screening process of persons with access to classified information.”

This sort of clearance is required to allow army officials access to classified EU documents and meetings.

But now the PN is insisting that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat must take action “for Mallia is lying”.

The Nationalist Opposition accused the home affairs minister of twisting the facts “to confuse minds”.

The ministry has stated that all officials mentioned by the Opposition had received their security clearance in August 2013, while in the case of Curmi this had been given in 2008.

The ministry explained that this clearance was issued by the MSS and was certified. It added that the process followed was the same one used in the past.

The government insisted that the Opposition’s irresponsibility was falling at the lowest levels, undermining the work carried out by the Armed Forces and institutions.

But according to the PN the security clearance was given according to the responsibility the officials would be given and criticised that Curmi’s top-level security clearance was sought after he was made commander.

“This shows that Mallia is persisting in a lie because the necessary security clearance was not given,” the PN said, adding that procedures mentioned by the government applied to lower grades within the army.