Muscat brands Prime Minister 'a liar' as Tonio Fenech's sub-contractor makes appearance on Xarabank

Xarabank celebrated its 500th edition on PBs yesterday with the leaders of the two political parties confronting each other in a presidential-style debate and answering well choreographed questions from a carefully selected audience of Nationalists and Labourite sympathisers. 

The highlight of the evening saw the unexpected appearance of Charles Magro, the man who has alleged that he was told by Montebello brothers - owners of JPM Brothers - that he was carrying out decoration works at the home of finance minister Tonio Fenech in return for a favour from the minister to help them sell off the Jerma Hotel. The Montebello brothers have since had their companies  face a €42 million loan call-in from Bawag bank over their stalled project at Mistra.

Magro asked the Prime Minister to explain why he was "made to suffer for having acted as a whistleblower". Magro, an Enemalta employee, said he had asked to meet him and claimed to have suffered discrimination since raising the matter of his unpaid fees for works at the minister's house, with the PM's personal assistant Edgar Galea Curmi.

The Prime Minister avoided the question and appeared to cut Magro short by saying this was a legal matter between the minister and Magro and that he could choose litigation if he so wished.

This riposte led to an unusual outburst from Joseph Muscat, who accused the Prime Minister of being a liar soon after being questioned by a member of the audience about his 'tendency to be late' - “I prefer to be late than to be liar," Muscat said.

The programme was interspersed with untimely interruptions from the usual adverts and promotions, while Labour leader Muscat was taken to task over his declaration that he would refund the VAT taken by government from used imported cars. Muscat insisted that even if he lost the court case, he would still refund if elected.

On the other hand Gonzi was confronted with questions on the long waiting lists at Mater Dei which had tripled under his premiership.

The Prime Minister was also quizzed over his handling of Air Malta and ARMS Ltd.  At one point he was questioned by Julian Borg, the patron of the well known pub City of London, who talked of his €7,000 water and electricity bill.

At the end of the programme the leaders were presented with mementos - which included a cake with the emblems of the party - magnum wine bottles and a tie. The last present led both politicians to display the ties to each other.

Host Joe Azzopardi ended the programme imploring his audience to applaud all Maltese politicians "for having made great sacrifices".