Updated 1.29pm with Labour reaction.

Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech insisted on Tuesday that he will not be silenced by Labour about speaking about tax matters. 

He was reacting to Labour criticism on Monday after he reacted to the Times of Malta story that Labour MP Ian Castaldi Paris had reached an agreement with the Inland Revenue Department to pay hundreds of thousands of euros in unpaid taxes and penalties.  

"The Labour Party claims I have no right to speak about tax evasion. Not only did I pay all my dues, but I also paid what I was previously contesting, once I found out that the government was going out of its way to stop me from contesting for PN Leader," Grech said in a Facebook post.

Bernard Grech published his tax compliance certificate.

In September 2020, Times of Malta had reported how Grech, then a PN leadership contender, had settled almost €30,000 in tax dues, as part of a plan to bring his affairs in order.  He also admitted "I could have been more careful".

In his post on Tuesday, Grech said the Labour Party did not like to be reminded about officials like Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri, who opened Panama companies to evade tax and pocket €5,000 a day from corruption until they were exposed by journalists.

And Castaldi Paris was found to owe at least €300,000 but is likely to owe close to €1 million in unpaid taxes for unexplained wealth.

"Not to mention Robert Abela himself who - after earning his fortune from government direct orders - failed to declare his income in parliament."

Grech said he would not be silenced by the Labour Party from speaking out about the unprecedented levels of corruption and tax evasion that have become synonymous with the Labour government.

Nor would he be stopped from standing up for ordinary men and women who are currently facing disproportionate bureaucracy because of Labour’s crimes.

"While a Labour MP can get away with simply not contesting the next election, today we have people being charged with money laundering for minor tax issues that should be dealt with administratively. But to protect the big fish, Labour got Malta greylisted. And to keep protecting the big fish, they make a show of the little guy. I will not let the bullies win at everyone else’s expense," Grech said.

Labour reacts

In a reaction, the Labour Party denied it was trying to stop Grech from speaking about tax evasion. 

On the contrary, it said, it was urging Grech to speak up because the more he did so the more the people remembered what he had done and what kind of person he was.  

They would also remember that he had not explained how he paid up overnight.