The assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was a key turning point in a former Labour Party mayor defecting to the Nationalist Party.

Speaking in an interview with Xarabank aired on Lovin Malta, Charles Azzopardi explained that his relationship with the Labour Party began deteriorating after the murder, which has been linked to some of the top institutions in the country, including the office of the Prime Minister.

“I had just come off a really positive performance in the general election, but four months later Daphne, a mother, a wife, a sister, was murdered. It took us back to the dark times of Karin Grech and Raymond Caruana. The motive for killing her was because of everything she wrote,” he said. 

Azzopardi said that the assassination was not the only reason for leaving the Labour Party – insisting that the party had betrayed his principles.

He pointed to the never-ending corruption scandals that have plagued the administration, claiming that the many PN officials who switched ahead of the 2013 election – did so to protect their own interests, knowing that the party they had been loyal to up until that point stood little chance to be elected.

Azzopardi was reluctant to name names, out of respect for those involved, but said they all knew they would benefit massively under the Labour administration. 

He went one step further, hinting that the Labour party is only able to hold onto dominance through dishing out favours that suit their constituents’ personal agendas. 

Host Peppi Azzopardi challenged the former mayor on his position, noting that there was little difference between the PN and the PL, with the former also subject to corruption allegations while they were leading the government.

“There was one major scandal under the PN, there are scandals now, that’s the key difference,” Azzopardi replied.