Joseph Muscat and Simon Busuttil faced each other on Friday night show Xarabank this evening, in a debate characterised by acrimony and angry words.
Here's a blow-by-blow retelling of events, starting with a recap of some of its spicier moments.
11pm So let's try recap what happened. Here are some of the debate's key points, for those less dedicated readers who are bound to pop by in the middle of the night asking 'so what happened?'.
Dr Muscat:
- Said Busuttil had "taken commissions" from a legal client of his, which received a €5 million out-of-court settlement from the then-PN government shortly after Busuttil became deputy party leader in 2012.
- Threw everything but the kitchen sink at PN deputy leaders Mario de Marco and Beppe Fenech Adami. De Marco "has a [secret] company in Cyprus while Fenech Adami was "being investigated for links to money laundering related to drug trafficking." Busuttil rubbished the claims.|
- Said Simon Busuttil was a "chicken" with "sweaty hands". Really.
Dr Busuttil:
- Said he would be publishing FIAU reports into Keith Schembri and Pilatus Bank. And sure enough, they're already doing the rounds on the internet.
- Highlighted new claims, published by the Malta Independent, which suggest an FIAU investigation into suspected links between Schembri and Mizzi and the company owning the Marsaxlokk LNG tanker.
- Turned armchair psychologist by telling Muscat his body language gave him away.
10.54pm That's the debate essentially over. When Xarabank returns from this final ad break, viewers will be treated to a feature about the two leaders' private lives, told from the perspective of their family members.
10.50pm Now Muscat's turn. "We choose Malta when we are born, not when we change government. I will not use divisive language, but rather unite the country."
Muscat tells voters to ask themselves three questions: "Did my family's lot improve? Did my country progress? Who between Joseph Muscat and Simon Busuttil is best equipped to lead the country?"
10.47pm Concluding statements. It's Busuttil first. "He started on day one when he got paid for use of his own car, and he's been sliding downhill ever since.
"It's time to turn the page and have a government which genuinely fights corruption from day one, with a serious police commissioner. This government won by 36,000 votes and now is drowning in corruption."
10.44pm The question on everyone's lips: now that Muscat has said Busuttil has sweaty hands, will he offer a handshake at the end of the debate?
10.32pm Another ad break. Busuttil got under Muscat's skin there, and the PM unleashed quite a bit of invective. You can add "coward", "sweaty hands" and "desperate" to that earlier "chicken". Tinder profile sorted.
10.30pm Muscat on the attack. "You have one deputy leader under investigation for links to drug trafficking money laundering, another with a company in Cyprus and George Pullicino. And you're pontificating?"
10.25pm Busuttil hints that Pilatus Bank is linked to Vitals Global Healthcare. "Does the man behind it have an account there too?"
"You tell me, you know everything about everyone's accounts," says the Prime Minister.
And this is now turning personal, with Busuttil telling his rival that his body language shows he's lying, and Muscat telling the PN leader "You're a chicken. A chicken."
10.22pm Busuttil's turn to dismiss Muscat now, with the PN leader reminding the PM of his good governance pledges and cries of Malta Tagħna Lkoll.
10.18pm The two men are talking proposals now. Busuttil's call for free childcare for all prompts scorn from Muscat, while his pledge to cut taxes is met by mockery.
"This is someone who wrote a manifesto pledging to cut tax to 25%, but then it had to be us to do it because he couldn't."
10.15pm Busuttil says Mario de Marco has completely disavowed claims that he owns, or owned, a company in Cyprus.
"We'll publish proof then," says Muscat, "will you resign then?"
"I must really annoy you, you're constantly calling for me to resign," retorts Busuttil.
10.10pm If you're the type of person to enjoy reading FIAU reports on a Friday night, you might want to have a look on Twitter. And perhaps reassess your social life.
10.04pm Busuttil looks to the camera and tells viewers that if the country is "dangling, it's not because of me. It’s because of Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri and Joseph Muscat."
If the financial services sector crashed and burned, he says, the ensuing domino effect would hurt everyone. "We will clean up the country – that is my promise," he says.
And it's time for commercial break no.2.
10pm The PM is in full flow here. "They used to say I couldn't lower tariffs, that I would bankrupt the country. Now they're up to their old tricks, trying to frighten you. Tell me, business owners, has the country ever been better off?"
9.57pm "Three judges found nothing about Beppe [Fenech Adami]," Busuttil says, adding that one of them, Philip Sciberras, "insults me on Facebook. Stop trying to tarnish Beppe."
Want to know more about the case they're referring to? Here's our report into that inquiry.
9.52pm Muscat again reiterates his challenge to Busuttil: If you're so sure you're right, say you'll resign if the Egrant finds nothing.
Now the two men are bickering over whether or not Keith Schembri is under criminal investigation, and right afterwards we're on to Muscat saying the PN's other deputy leader, Beppe Fenech Adami, is being investigated for links to money laundering.
"You should fire him tonight," he says.
Dr Muscat. Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina9.48pm Busuttil: "Nothing you say can distract from the fact that Keith Schembri is under criminal investigation."
The PN leader says it's Muscat, not himself, who's fearing the outcome of the Egrant inquiry, and that's why he decided to hold a snap election in the shortest amount of time allowable by law.
9.45pm Back to the main action. And it starts with Muscat casually saying PN deputy leader Mario de Marco "has a company in Cyprus."...before moving on to talk about PL proposals, as though his accusation was a casual aside about the spring weather.
9.43pm Alleanza Bidla's ad seems to be focused on the things it would say "NO!" to. No offence guys, but perhaps you should have picked a different name.
9.40pm Here's an idea for future debates. 10 push-ups every time one of the leaders interrupts the other.
9.33pm Two politicians biting each others' heads off not enough for you? There's more partisan patter in the ad break. Even the Patrijotti have gotten in on the, err, fun.
9.30pm Money laundering? That's a PN trick, says Muscat. The PM reminds voters of the db Group invoice saga, as well as the PN's cedoli scheme.
He then neatly pivots to a stump speech about it being 'L-Aqwa Żmien Ta' Pajjiżna'.
9.28pm "Prime Minister, you cannot sully my reputation because I am not dirty," Busuttil tells Muscat.
And here we go, another FIAU report -this one which "shows Pilatus Bank is a money laundering machine." Busuttil says he'll be publishing this one too.
9.25pm 10 minutes into the debate, and we've had Dr Busuttil announcing he's going to be publishing FIAU reports and Dr Muscat saying his rival "pressured" cabinet to pay clients of his €5 million 18 months before the 2013 election.
Dr Busuttil holds up one of the documents he intends to publish. Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina9.23pm And Dr Muscat now accuses Dr Busuttil of "taking commissions."
He accuses Dr Busuttil of defending clients who then received an out-of-court €5m payment from Cabinet the moment he became PN deputy leader.
"And you received money from that," the PM says.
Dr Busuttil replies by accusing the PM of distraction tactics.
9.21pm Dr Busuttil says he's going to be publishing the FIAU report "immediately".
9.18pm Both leaders are on familiar ground here. Busuttil telling the PM "nobody believes you" and the latter replying by saying his rival is tarnishing Malta's name abroad.
Cue the PN leader whipping out a series of article print-outs. And an FIAU report into alleged money laundering by Keith Schembri on the sale of passports.
9.14pm Muscat says a "whistleblower" of his own has said the latest alleged FIAU report is false. But the question was about his statement which so outraged Malta's chamber of advocates today, and Peppi calls him up on it.
Dr Muscat again reiterates that the magistrate would have to "shoulder responsiblity".
9.13pm Dr Busuttil wastes no time in referencing the LNG tanker claims. "They've dipped their beaks into this too," he says. The PN leader reiterates his belief in Egrant allegations, but dodges a question about whether he'll resign if the inquiry finds the claims to be false.
9.11pm And we're off!
How nice to see the Prime Minister on the debating stage. What a shame he couldn't find the time to answer an invitation by ourselves, Malta Today and the Malta Independent to take part in a debate organised by the country's three independent media houses. We'll have to settle for looking on while Peppi does the honours.
9.08pm The Malta Independent has kindly given the two leaders something else to talk about, publishing a story just minutes before the debate which alleges that another, hitherto undisclosed FIAU report noted two attempts to transfer money from a company linked to the Marsaxlokk LNG tanker owners to a Dubai company "created for the purpose of transferring money to Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri."
9pm The extent of political advertising is really verging on the ludicrous, isn't it? Billboards, banners, flyers, TV spots, radio messages, YouTube ads, Google ads, Facebook ads, spam email, spam text messages....what's next? It's almost as though the private sector has gone on a month-long holiday.
8.49pm If you've got comments or observations, you can send them in to mynews@timesofmalta.com or tweet me directly at @bertu123. As a hat tip to tonight's political protagonists, I promise to highlight the positive messages and pretend the critical ones never happened.
8.44pm The format is pretty straightforward. One moderator, two debaters, and some ad breaks sandwiched in between. Moderator Peppi Azzopardi told me that the two men can debate whatever they please. Chances are, it won't be the Champions League final.
Like last month's debate, Xarabank's (famously rowdy) audience has been asked to take the night off. Unlike last month's offering, the show will wrap up with two separate video features about each of the two debaters.
8.38pm Last time round, the nation was in an Egrant-induced tizzy. Fast forward four weeks, and those claims have spread into not one, not two, but three separate magisterial inquiries into those allegations and others concerning Dr Muscat’s chief of staff Keith Schembri.
8.35pm Good evening, and welcome to our live coverage of tonight’s debate. Barely a month after Drs Muscat and Busuttil stood before Xarabank’s Peppi Azzopardi, they’re back on the Friday night show. Give someone else a go, lads.