Michael Farrugia’s refusal to shoulder responsibility for a police force scandal which happened under his watch as Home Affairs Minister is testament to the Prime Minister’s double standards, Adrian Delia said on Saturday.

Moreover, he said the €15 bonus to compensate for the rise in break and milk prices was just a “stunt” to deflect attention from this crisis and the culture of impunity perpetrated by this government.

Dr Delia was speaking in a brief interview on the party’s radio station in which he asked why Dr Farrugia, who until January was responsible for the police force, had not been asked to resign.  

“If Prime Minister Robert Abela has accepted Justyne Caruana’s resignation as Gozo Minister [over her husband’s conduct in the police force] why has no ministerial responsibility been shouldered in the case of Michael Farrugia?” Dr Delia asked.

“Why is the Prime Minister adopting double standards? Is Michael Farrugia more powerful than Ms Caruana?” he added.

He asked whether former Gozo minister Ms Caruana had been used as a scapegoat, to protect ministers who had served under former prime minister Joseph Muscat.

The police force has been rocked by an investigation into an alleged racket of overtime abuse and other fraud. Dr Farrugia on Friday said he had done his duty by forwarding a whistleblower's letter to the police commissioner and said that no overtime irregularities had been flagged during his time as minister. 

Dr Delia questioned whether Dr Abela had been alerted to the police scandal by the former home affairs minister when he assumed office in January. 

Justyne Caruana resigned days after being sworn into office; Michael Farrugia has said he did his duty by forwarding a whistleblower's complaint.

“Is Dr Abela in control, or has he been taken over by forces which are tearing the Labour Party and the government apart,” he questioned.

The Opposition leader compared the state of the police force to a “Hollywood movie on bad cops”. However, he said the ones bearing the brunt of all this were honest police officers who were being ridiculed as the force had become “a sad joke”.

Party situation

During the interview Dr Delia touched briefly on the situation within the PN, while pointing out that the executive committee was meeting throughout the day to discuss the reform piloted by Louis Galea.

“There is enthusiasm and motivation of a party which is alive and kicking after 140 years,” he remarked.

Dr Delia has faced internal dissent from members of his parliamentary group but said that he will not be resigning. 

Commenting on the first days of Francis Zammit Dimech as interim secretary general, Dr Delia described him as a person who has tranquillity to listen and take action on the strength of his bags of experience.

“We have to show the party can rise from the ashes and be in a position to become an alternative government,” he said.