The Malta Labour Party Vigilance Board has suspended Joe Zrinzo, the secretary of the party's 12th district committee, party sources confirmed yesterday.
In a letter dated August 8, MLP secretary-general Jason Micallef informed the party leadership, the national executive, deputy general secretaries and the secretaries of MLP clubs at Mellieha, Mgarr, Naxxar, St Paul's Bay and Gharghur, that Mr Zrinzo, father of MLP president Stefano Zrinzo Azzopardi, had been suspended from any party activity with immediate effect.
In his letter, Mr Micallef informed them that Mr Zrinzo was also being suspended from the national party executive until his case was investigated by the vigilance board.
Mr Micallef said the board was investigating allegations that Mr Zrinzo, together with another person, had instigated Dr George Vella to undermine the party leader.
Such behaviour was in flagrant breach of the party statute and political ethics, and the Vigilance Board, on August 2, had communicated its decision to suspend him to the party leadership.
These allegations against Mr Zrinzo were the subject of the communication which the party leadership received from the Vigilance Board, Mr Micallef said.
The allegations about Mr Zrinzo and Steve McCarthy, chairman of the GWU-owned Union Print, were initially made by former MLP president Manwel Cuschieri, who on Super One radio spoke of "two people with foreign sounding surnames", who had offered Dr Vella the party leadership.
The party cannot take any action against Mr McCarthy, who is not a party member. But the General Workers' Union president Salvu Sammut has suggested to the union's council that not to hurt the MLP, Mr McCarthy should clarify his position to the union's council.
Contacted yesterday, Mr Zrinzo said the Vigilance Board had never sent for him, charged him or given him the opportunity to defend himself, as the statute stipulated.
He said he was not informed of the board's decision in writing by the board chairman either. This went against the Vigilance Board's rules and procedures.
The MLP Vigilance Board is made up of Edward Woods, a lawyer who was the chairman of the Malta Maritime Authority under a Labour government, former GWU secretary-general Anglu Fenech and Ivan Sammut, a lawyer from Paola. Doris Pace Grima, a teacher, and Bartolomeo Micallef, a notary who works in the office of MLP deputy leader Charles Mangion, are substitute members.
Efforts to contact MLP secretary-general Jason Micallef were unsuccessful. Dr Woods refused to comment, saying he was bound by professional secrecy.