Former opposition leader Adrian Delia says he has turned his sights on achieving a “long-term sustainable charitable foundation” to support Id-Dar tal-Providenza.
Delia sensationally presented a €500,000 donation pledge on behalf of the Catco Group Capital Investment during the annual fundraiser for the charity on Friday.
Delia said during the televised fundraiser that structures would be put in place to ensure that the donation by Catco Group to Id-Dar tal-Providenza would become a recurring one.
Apart from a recently-announced sponsorship of the Sliema Wanderers football club, Catco Group has no known presence or interests in Malta, raising questions about the reason behind the donation. It describes itself as a player in the oil, gas and automotive industry in the Middle East, Africa and the Gulf States.
Tunisia, where the Catco Group is based, was only last year removed from the EU’s list of countries that pose a risk to the financial system due to money-laundering and terrorism financing risks.
Id-Dar tal-Providenza issued a statement on Saturday saying it would be requesting further documentation on the €500,000 funding pledge.
Delia explains his role in raising funds for major donation
Contacted by Times of Malta about his role in the pledge, Delia said he was introduced to the group through a football acquaintance.
Delia, who served as opposition leader until October, named the acquaintance as Sliema Wanderers president Jeffrey Farrugia during the presentation of the donation pledge on Friday. Catco Group’s chairman Fisal Abdullah Alokla had also been made chairman of Sliema Wanderers following the sponsorship deal.
Questioned why Catco would offer such a large donation given its lack of connection with Malta, Delia said the company is interested in developing football and sports facilities on the island.
“I have understood they are looking at various other investment opportunities. I have no place or authority to speak on their behalf, however,” Delia said.
“All my energies were dedicated solely in assisting Fr Martin Micallef in his noble albeit gargantuan mission of love.
“My focus was and will be to contact family, friends, businesses local and foreign to work towards achieving a long term sustainable charitable foundation to give comfort and serenity to the home’s angel residents,” Delia said.
Delia was ousted from the PN’s leadership role last year shortly after Times of Malta revealed he continued to entertain communication with murder suspect Yorgen Fenech even after it was known that the Tumas magnate owned 17 Black.
The PN MP has faced accusations, which he denies, of receiving cash sums from Fenech in an alleged bid to thwart MEP David Casa’s re-election hopes in 2019.
Apart from the sensational €500,000 pledge, Delia donated €22,775 to Id-Dar tal-Providenza raised by his “team”.
Social media commentators were quick to point out that Delia’s fundraising efforts outstripped those of the Nationalist Party, which separately donated €1,000 to the cause.
PN denies deliberately cutting away from live feed during presentaion
The party’s media wing was also accused of deliberately cutting away from the live feed of Delia giving his €22,775 donation.
Contacted by Times of Malta, PN general secretary Francis Zammit Dimech said the accusations were “sheer bollocks”.
Zammit Dimech said NET TV cut away from the live feed due to a pre-scheduled broadcast by PN leader Bernard Grech, followed by the 7.30pm news bulletin.
He said Delia’s second appearance on the fundraiser was broadcast live by NET.
On the amount donated by the party, Zammit Dimech said both the PN and Labour had long had an informal agreement in place about how much to donate annually to Id-Dar tal-Providenza.
This was done to avoid turning the annual charity fundraiser into a political game where the two parties tried outshining each other with the amount donated.