The Council of Europe will decide today whether it will take action against MP Rosianne Cutajar over her role in a Mdina property deal invovling Yorgen Fenech.

Cutajar is facing allegations that she breached the European Council’s parliamentary assembly’s (PACE) code of ethics over failing to declare the conflict of interest, but still regularly refused to appear before a committee to answer questions over the deal. 

Cutajar has faced claims that she pocketed thousands from the 2019 deal, which happened just a few months before Fenech was charged with the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. 

Just a month after the suspected deal, Cutajar was within the halls of the Council of Europe fighting tooth and nail against a report demanding a public inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Notably, the report noted that Yorgen Fenech, as the Electrogas director, owned 17 Black, which was found to have received large sums of money from an Azeri national. At the time, the government insisted that demands for a public inquiry were too far-ranging in scope.

She has admitted that Fenech did hand her over €31,000 in cash at the now infamous Porticello restaurant. She insists that she was tasked with handing over the money to her aide Charles ‘It-Tikka’ Farrugia, but has said that Fenech did give her a €9,000 gift. The Tax Commissioner is investigating.

Cutajar is facing further controversy elsewhere after former National Book Council Chairman Mark Camilleri claimed she had an intimate affair with Fenech. She has since sued for libel, but Camilleri fired back by publishing messages between Fenech and Diane Izzo where the relationship is referenced.

Lovin Malta has previously reported how Fenech expressed concern that Cutajar’s “overly emotional” speech could have raised suspicions over their close relationship.

Should action be taken against Cutajar?