Updated 5pm, adds PL statement
MEP David Casa has called on European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to take concrete action in the wake of Malta's benefit fraud scandal, which he described as "the Labour Party’s corrupt vote-buying scheme".
Times of Malta revealed earlier this month that former Labour MP Silvio Grixti has been implicated in a years-long racket to help hundreds of people to fraudulently receive monthly disability benefits they were not entitled to.
He provided false medical documents to help people, often hailing from Labour strongholds like Żabbar, Żejtun and Paola, to receive monthly social benefits for severe disabilities they did not suffer from.
The fraud saw the claimants receive monthly payments averaging €450 from the social security department.
In his letter to von der Leyen, Casa accused the PL of operating as a criminal organisation, "replete with fraud, forgeries and kickbacks to buy votes which erode our democratic credentials”.
He referred to several revelations of corruption over the years and claimed that this is one of the most heinous.
“While criminality has become synonymous with this administration, the latest revelations are particularly disturbing because the scheme manipulated elections using funds intended for people with severe disabilities,” he said.
Casa called on the Commission to make use of the tools at its disposal including the rule of law monitoring and the conditionality mechanisms.
Attached files
PL statement
In a statement later, the Labour Party said Casa's letter was based on lies and intended to hinder Malta from getting European funds.
He wrote his letter a few hours before the arrival of von der Leyen in Malta to put a damper on the visit.
Casa could still not believe that Prime Minister Robert Abela had obtained the biggest packet of European funds for Malta in history. These, the PL said, would continue to be used for the benefit of Maltese and Gozitans.