Tumas Group Chair Says He’ll Publish Proof Who Paid For Joseph Muscat’s And Minister’s Stay At French Hotel If He Gets Clearance
Tumas Group chairman and CEO Ray Fenech has said he personally has no problem publishing proof who paid for a holiday by former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis at a Hilton hotel in France.
Fenech told Lovin Malta he has no problem publishing this proof of payment if he gets clearance from the Hilton and if he’s satisfied such publication doesn’t breach the Maltese and French data protection regimes.
The business group launched an internal investigation into this August 2014 holiday two weeks ago, but Fenech said he has yet to receive any information about who paid for Muscat’s and Zammit Lewis’ accommodation, other than that someone certainly paid for it.
He said this is because the hotel in Évian-Les-Bains has closed its doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its staff are currently furloughed.
“Once I receive information as to who paid for this trip, I’ll have no problem publishing it if I receive clearance from the Hilton and if it’s complaint with Malta’s and France’s data protection laws.”
Lovin Malta reported in November that Zammit Lewis’ and Muscat’s holiday was partially funded by Yorgen Fenech, the former Tumas Group CEO and the main suspect in the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Two weeks ago, Zammit Lewis insisted there exists proof that he and Muscat paid for his accommodation, but he refused to specify further or even pledge to publish this proof.
“I assure you that there’s proof that we paid,” he said. “I don’t have receipts from six years ago but I assure you that I always acted ethically and properly, not only in this holiday but in everything I do as a minster.”
Muscat has dismissed the report but hasn’t published any proof of payment either, only saying it’s unreasonable to expect him to still have receipts of a holiday he took six years ago.
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