Updated 9.50am - Added Mizzi statement
It began with a handshake and ended with armchair psychology and talk of “sweaty hands”.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil faced each other in a televised debate on Friday evening show Xarabank yesterday, and in an acrimonious electoral campaign belied by its brevity, the gloves were unsurprisingly off from the word go.
Within the first 10 minutes, Dr Busuttil announced that he would be publishing two confidential FIAU reports in which investigators flagged money laundering suspicions concerning the Prime Minister’s chief of staff Keith Schembri and another one which showed, he said, “that Pilatus Bank is a money laundering machine.”
Minutes later, the reports were circulating online.
BLOG: Muscat and Busuttil face off on Xarabank
Dr Muscat soon hit back, first accusing Dr Busuttil of having “taken commissions” when he represented a client which received a €5 million out-of-court settlement from the then-PN government shortly after becoming the party’s deputy leader, and then accusing Dr Busuttil’s deputies of playing dirty.
PN deputy leader Mario de Marco, the Prime Minister claimed, “has a company in Cyprus” – something Dr de Marco immediately denied in a Facebook post – and said that the PN’s other deputy leader, Beppe Fenech Adami, was being investigated for “links to money laundering related to drug trafficking.”
Dr Busuttil remained nonplussed, telling his rival that he could not sully his reputation “because I am not dirty” and taunting the Prime Minister that “nobody believes you anymore.”
“Nothing you say can distract from the fact that Keith Schembri is under criminal investigation,” he added.
As the debate progressed, the two men found it increasingly difficult to bite their tongues and respect each other’s allotted speaking time, with the two taking it in turns to accuse the other of hypocrisy.
Moderator Peppi Azzopardi steered talk towards the two parties’ proposals at one point, but the interlude did not last too long, with the two debaters going back to accusations, allegations and denials.
Dr Busuttil said he would be publishing FIAU reports. Photo: Mark Zammit CordinaDr Muscat repeatedly challenged his rival to step aside if an inquiry into Egrant allegations came up with nothing, but despite the persistent challenge, Dr Busuttil refused to address the issue directly.
And so it went, with Dr Busuttil casting aspersions (was there a link between Vitals Global Healthcare and Pilatus Bank?; were kickbacks involved in the LNG tanker deal?; did the Prime Minister own Egrant?) and Dr Muscat returning fire with invective.
"Chicken", "yellow" [beżżieħ], "desperate", "liar"; all crossed the Prime Minister's lips as he struggled to contain his bubbling anger.
As the insults cascaded down, Dr Busuttil suggested Dr Muscat was acting guilty. “Your body language gives you away,” he said as he leaned onto his podium.
Perhaps keen not to be outdone, the Prime Minister reached for a bit of body language analysis of his own. “Just look at your hands,” he said, “they’re sweaty.”
Dr Muscat. Photo: Mark Zammit CordinaFIAU responds to LNG tanker claims
Dr Busuttil opened the debate by making reference to claims, published in the Malta Independent, that the FIAU had investigated suspected ties between the company behind the Marsaxlokk LNG tanker and a Dubai company connected to Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri.
The 120-page had yet to be concluded, the newspaper said.
In a statement issued in the early hours of the morning, the FIAU said it denied the existence of any "conclusive report" into the matter or of the "conclusions as alleged."
Schembri, Mizzi deny claims
In a statement issued through the Department of Information, Mr Schembri accused Dr Busuttil of having "gone utterly over the edge" in his thirst for power.
"Any contention that I have sought - or received - ‘kickbacks’, commissions, or any other kind of payment while in government is false," he said.
"I have been subject to a co-ordinated smear campaign for well over a year, but this latest fabrication is nothing short of criminal."
In a similar statement, Minister Konrad Mizzi said claims that he received kickbacks in relation to the LNG tanker were "blatant lies" and an attempt by Dr Busuttil "to win an election via the back-door of fear and smear."