Adrian Delia denies claims of late PN membership payment

A contender for the Nationalist Party leadership has denounced what he claims are underhanded attacks coming out of party headquarters, over a picture of the PN’s membership list showing that he had not paid his party membership for the past two years.

Speaking to MaltaToday, Adrian Delia said he was aware of the screenshot from an Excel worksheet showing the entry next to his name, with his membership status marked as ‘eligible after 2017 and 2016 membership is paid’.

All candidates for the PN leadership must have been a member for at least two years when they submitted their nominations two weeks ago. The same goes for members who will vote for the party leader in the 16 September election.

Party sources claimed with MaltaToday that Delia had only settled his party dues a few days ago. But Delia insisted he had paid his membership in January as he has done every year to the local party representative in Siggiewi.

Party sources claimed with MaltaToday that Delia had only settled his party dues a few days ago

“This representative passes on the money to HQ, but I don’t know whether she does so immediately or if she waits for weeks or months to collect payment from a number of members before passing them on. What I do know is that I pay my membership every January and did so again this year.”

Delia said the screenshot of the alleged members’ list was “a clear example of an underhanded attack against me, coming straight out of party headquarters… 

“When I submitted my nomination for the leadership contest, Angelito Sciberras checked and confirmed there and then that I was indeed a fully paid-up party member before even accepting my nomination. Don’t you think Sciberras would have noticed if my membership for 2017 and 2016 were still awaiting payment?”

He said that apart from party officials, only two other persons working inside Angelito Sciberras’s office could have had access to the list. “Whatever the case, whoever did this, was definitely wrong because he did not know how and when I paid my membership dues.”