Motion seeks to censure Prime Minister over trust expressed in Schembri

A motion of no confidence presented by independent MP Marlene Farrugia has been amended and turned into a motion of censure against Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.

The motion also calls for the setting up of an ad hoc parliamentary committee to investigate the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, after which the House of Representatives would be asked to decide whether Muscat should be censored for having expressed his confidence in Schembri.

The motion also calls on the Prime Minister to demand Schembri’s resignation.

On Facebook, Farrugia said she had amended her motion as suggested by Speaker Anglu Farrugia and the clerk of the House, making it admissible.

In her motion, the Zurrieq MP argued that the “allegations” surrounding Schembri have undermined the national interest, as well as the trust in government.

The ad hoc committee, as proposed by Farrugia, would be structured similarly to the public accounts committee, with seven members and chaired by a member of the opposition.

The committee would have two months to call in witnesses, including Schembri, and conclude its findings.

Schembri was revealed to own a company in the British Virgin Islands – set up in 2011 – and a trust fund in New Zealand and an attached company in Panama. The latter setup was incorporated whilst in office.

Schembri, who resigned his directorships in the Kasco group upon his appointment as chief of staff in March 2013, is still a shareholder overseeing the expansion of his business group’s activities.