Former Opposition leader Simon Busuttil and outspoken MEP David Casa were among Nationalist politicians sent packages of suspected cocaine in the post in what they claim was an attempt to silence them.
Both Busuttil and Casa confirmed on Monday that they had received a “suspicious package” around March last year.
On Sunday, Times of Malta reported how Nationalist MP Karol Aquilina had received a package containing cocaine at his office at PN headquarters. He believes he was being framed by people implicated in the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia to stop him from speaking out.
Fellow MP Jason Azzopardi had also received a package in the post at around the same time but had immediately taken to social media to announce the matter.
Times of Malta understands that the four packages are all being investigated by the police and that a magisterial inquiry was set up to try and establish who sent them.
Contacted on Monday, Casa said a “suspicious package” was received by his Malta office from Sweden while he was in Brussels around the same time that other PN members had also received packages. He declined to comment further for fear of jeopardising police and court proceedings.
“The inquiring magistrate at the time asked me not to divulge any information to the press on this matter in order not to hinder the investigation,” he said.
'I don't let frame-ups intimidate me', says Busuttil
Busuttil meanwhile said that in April last year, he was notified by the PN Secretary General that he had received a suspicious envelope at PN headquarters.
"I therefore immediately notified the police about the matter and went to PN HQ with them to receive the said envelope in their presence and to ask the police to open the envelope in front of me. This took place in the office of the PN Secretary General," he said.
Since the envelope was anonymous, Busuttil said he had no idea who had sent it.
"The envelope contained white powder and a forensic expert was called in for examination. Eventually the police took the envelope with them for testing and later notified me that an official Police report on the incident had been registered and that a magisterial inquiry that was underway on similar cases would now also be extended to this case," he said.
He later added that he had also agreed to keep the matter confidential so as not to alert the sender or prejudice the investigation.
"That was the last I heard about the case. I never heard anything else from the police and I have not even been asked to testify by the inquiring magistrate," he said.
Nor had anyone ever confirmed the contents of the envelope, he said.
"This is why I cannot assume or conclude that it was an illegal substance sent to me as a warning or threat. What I can say is that I never let these sort of frame-up attempts intimidate me," he said.
Busuttil was leader of the Opposition and PN between 2013 and 2017. Today he serves as general secretary of the European People’s Party.