Nationalist MP Fires Shots At Colleagues For Meeting Powerful Businessman Behind Mysterious Company
Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi has aimed a thinly veiled dig at his fellow MPs Kristy Debono and Hermann Schiavone after The Sunday Times of Malta revealed that they had met Tumas Group CEO Yorgen Fenech to discuss the possible sponsorship of a conference room.
“How can you even think of being credible on corruption if you, whilst criticizing the corruptor, meet him behind the backs of your team mates and the public?” Azzopardi said in a tweet. “Not to mention the possibility of being criminal accomplices.”
In comments to The Times, Debono, who is also president of the PN’s General Council, confirmed meeting Fenech with Schiavone.
“My intention was to organise this conference, which is on my own initiative and non-profit making,” she said. “Hence, I shortlisted a number of possible conference venues, in the St Julian’s and Swieqi vicinities.”
“I met Mr Fenech to discuss possible sponsorship of a small conference room and informed him that I am considering as well other venues. Had this materialised, I would have listed the company as a sponsor.”
She said that the PN had never issued any directive to boycott establishments owned by the Tumas Group and that the party and party representatives had indeed held political events in these establishments until recently.
“I will honour any directives issued by the PN as I always did,” she said.
On his part, Schiavone confirmed he had a meeting at Portomaso but refused to state who it was with.
Tumas Group CEO Yorgen Fenech
Fenech is CEO of the Tumas Group, the powerful business group behind the Portomaso complex, the Dolmen Resort Hotel and several other properties, entertainment and catering outlets. He is also the shareholder of the Electrogas consortium, which runs the LNG power station in Delimara.
However, an investigation by the Daphne Project last November found that Fenech was also the owner of the mysterious Dubai company 17 Black. Emails from the Panama Papers indicate that 17 Black was one of two companies which were supposed to transfer monthly fees of €150,000 to the Panama companies of Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi and OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri.
Opposition leader Adrian Delia has described the findings as a massive scandal and has called for the resignations of Mizzi and Schembri over it. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has said he will await the findings of a magisterial inquiry into the company before taking action.
Fenech hasn’t denied owning the company but has denied any allegations of wrongdoing.
Cover photo: Jason Azzopardi (second from left) interviewed on NET by Kristy Debono (right) last year. Photo: Facebook
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