PN deputy leader Simon Busuttil this morning kept up his attack on PL deputy leader Toni Abela and reiterated calls for his resignation after a tape recording where Dr Abela was heard saying that he asked a Labourite policeman not to take further action after an incident at Attard PL club.
Addressing a news conference at the PN headquarters during which several clips featuring statements by Dr Abela were broadcast, Dr Busuttil said that the PL deputy leader's position was no longer tenable and he should resign.
This was because of what Dr Abela said in the recording and because of his inconsistency.
Dr Busuttil asked if Labour leader Joseph Muscat knew about the case and if he did, why did he not do anything about it.
He said that should Dr Abela fail to submit his resignation, Dr Muscat should shoulder the responsibility himself and request Dr Abela's resignation.
The case, he said, had shown that the PL was now morally bankrupt and this could be reflected in the way the PL was behaving when faced with scandalous matter.
Dr Abela is insisting he did nothing wrong, saying on TVAM today that he was being ‘crucified’ by the PN to divert attention from more serious cases.
On TVAM, Dr Busuttil said Dr Abela had failed two crucial tests – he had put pressure on a policeman not to take action, and then he had denied it.
And he had said so himself, as evidenced in the tape recording.
Amid interruptions of X’wahda din by Dr Abela, Dr Busuttil said such behaviour was scandalous and totally unacceptable, especially from a senior politician. Dr Abela, he said, should resign.
Dr Abela said this case involved a minor incident in a village club, not the millions such as in the BWSC case or oil procurement corruption, but the PN was trying to shift attention. The PN was attacking him because it wanted to silence him since he spoke the truth, he revealed facts with names, time and all. Dr Busuttil should not play ‘the saint’.
Dr Busuttil said the crucial difference was that whenever corruption was alleged, the government called in the police to investigate. In contrast, the PL, specifically Dr Abela, calling on the police not to take further action.
Dr Abela said the PN was demanding action against him, but what action had it taken against its candidate Vince Farrugia after so many incriminating phone calls?
Dr Busuttil said, Dr Abela was throwing mud at everybody while not assuming responsibility for his own actions.
Dr Abela said this was a PN plot raised now, before the elections, when it actually took place two years ago. He insisted that he had done nothing wrong in the Attard case, other than to try to calm the waters. He had not asked the police not to proceed against one of the parties, but against both, since he was legally responsible for the club. In Mosta PN club, there was a case of organised crime. Why had the police not acted?
Dr Abela also pointed out that the PN was making use of a tape recording made secretly. Abroad, the News of the World was brought down because of tape recordings made secretly.
Dr Busuttil said the people were not stupid and it was scandalous that Dr Abela was throwing mud at everyone instead of assuming responsibility for his own actions.
Dr Abela said the PN was using two weights and two measures against him in contrast to the more serious cases affecting the country.
Dr Busuttil said Joseph Muscat was adopting two weights and two measures. Anglu Farrugia was asked to resign for making comments against a Magistrate – although he suspected that there were other reasons. In this case Dr Abela had gone to the police asking them not to take action, but for the Labour Party, is seemed like nothing untoward had happened.