'I have nothing to hide': PM writes to standards commissioner over probe
Abela asks Joseph Azzopardi to lift the statute of limitations on allegations in Wenzu Mintoff letter
Robert Abela has asked the standards commissioner to lift the statute of limitations that would prevent him from investigating allegations of misconduct that took place before Abela was elected prime minister.
Times of Malta revealed on Tuesday that Judge Lawrence (Wenzu) Mintoff has sent a bombshell letter to the cabinet with a series of allegations made under oath against the prime minister.
In his five-page letter to cabinet, Mintoff asks for Abela to be removed from talks, negotiations and decisions on the appointment of the new Chief Justice, claiming the prime minister is biased against him.
He accused Abela of “caring more about money than an independent judiciary”. He claimed that in his time as a lawyer and Labour MP, Abela pressured the judge’s staff to increase the taxable amount owed in a case he was involved in, to allow him to bump up his [Abela’s] compensation by “thousands” of euro.
When the worker stood firm, Abela threatened to have her sacked and implied Judge Mintoff had colluded with then-President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca to keep the taxable amount down.
On Wednesday, rule of law group Repubblika and the Momentum political party separately asked the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life to investigate the sworn allegations about the prime minister.
The claims, Repubblika pointed out, included undue pressure on a court employee, the use of parliamentary questions in the context of personal financial gain, private communication with a sitting judge about a judicial appointment, and political considerations for the appointment of the chief justice.
Abela told his Facebook followers on Wednesday afternoon he had asked the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life Joseph Azzopardi to lift the statute of limitations on the allegations flagged by Repubblika and Momentum.
"I welcome full scrutiny because I have nothing to hide," he said.
The letter sent to Chief justice emeritus Joseph Azzopardi. Photo: Facebook