Mizzi’s ‘shame on you’ comes back to haunt its author

One of Konrad Mizzi’s now notorious quips has come back to haunt him, perhaps earlier than he might have imagined.

A billboard erected by the Nationalist Party in Msida features Prime Minister Joseph Muscat flanked by his chief of staff Keith Schembri and the energy minister, who are under fire over their offshore interests.

Both Mizzi and Schembri have admitted to holding offshore companies in Panama and trusts in New Zealand, raising speculation on structures that are frequently used for tax avoidance and money laundering.

Mizzi said he will close his Panama company but retain his offshore trust in New Zealand, whose beneficiaries are his family members.

During the 2013 election, Mizzi laid into then finance minister Tonio Fenech during a televised debate on Xarabank, repeatedly calling out ‘shame on you’ at Fenech.

The phrase caught on, with students at the Higher Secondary college using it as a cat-call for supporters of Lawrence Gonzi during a leaders' debate at the college during the 2013 election.

On Sunday, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil will lead a protest against what he termed the “crisis of corruption” inside Joseph Muscat’s government, outside the Office of the Prime Minister on Castille Place.

Labour has also countered with a set of posters featuring former PN ministers Tonio Fenech, Jason Azzopardi, Giovanna Debono, and George Pullicino set on a yellow field with Simon Busuttil blurred out in the background, reading: 'Simon and I are one and the same' and hashtagged #hagawahda.

Labour's party billboard, taken out on their party clubs' facades - other versions include former ministers Jason Azzopoardi and George Pullicino, and former Nationalist MP and minister Giovanna Debono