PN Warns Against ‘False Equivalence’ After Latest Jason Azzopardi Hotel Freebie Allegation
The Nationalist Party has played down the implication of allegations that MP Jason Azzopardi benefitted from two free weekend breaks courtesy of Yorgen Fenech and the Tumas Group while serving as a Cabinet member.
“Any equivalence with something any Nationalist politician did in the past is false and designed to confuse voters,” a PN spokesperson told Lovin Malta. “It also serves to minimize the seriousness of the shocking stories we hear in court everyday that we have sadly become desensitized to.”
The PN also pledged to draw a line between public interests and undue influence from business if elected to government, by implementing the recommendations of the Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry.
Earlier today, Simon Mercieca alleged on his blog that Azzopardi benefited from two free weekend hotel breaks courtesy of the Tumas Group, at the Comino Hotel and Hilton Malta, while serving as a Cabinet member in the last PN administration.
Mercieca said the Comino hotel weekend break was “given to Azzopardi” by Yorgen Fenech, the ex Tumas Group CEO who has since been charged with the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
The Tumas Group was already revealed to have paid for Azzopardi’s 2017 stay at the Hilton Hotel in Tel Aviv, behaviour which saw the MP rebuked by the PN’s ethics commission.
Lovin Malta asked the PN whether it will speak to Azzopardi about this allegation and whether it finds it problematic.
This is its response in full:
“A new government led by Bernard Grech would ensure that Malta implements all the recommendations of the Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry.”
“For the first time in history, this would draw a clear line between government and undue influence from private interests.”
“Meanwhile, the Labour Party and Robert Abela have still not committed to enacting the public inquiry recommendations in full.”
“Abela is not only standing by Joseph Muscat, but he is also standing by Muscat’s best friend Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis who was caught cosying up to Yorgen Fenech even after 17Black ownership was revealed.”
“Any equivalence with something any Nationalist politician did in the past is false and designed to confuse voters. It also serves to minimize the seriousness of the shocking stories we hear in court everyday that we have sadly become desensitized to.”