Kienu miċħuda b’mod immedjat dikjarazzjonijiet ġodda li l-Kap tal-Oppożizzjoni għamel kontra ċ-chief of staff tal-Prim Ministru, Keith Schembri.
Simon Busuttil allega li Keith Schembri ħa flus mingħand Brian Tonna minn flus li Tonna daħħal b’rabta max-xogħol tiegħu fuq l-iskema ta’ ċittadinanza b’investiment. B’mod immedjat Schembri ħabbar li se jiftaħ libell u qal li dan huwa gideb, parti minn frame up u ripetizzjoni ta’ allegazzjonijiet li Daphne Caruana Galizia għamlet sena ilu.
Simon Busuttil qal li se jmur bid-dokumenti li għandu għand il-Maġistrat u Schembri qal li jilqa’ dan il-pass għaliex il-verità għandha tkun magħrufa għal kulħadd.
Schembri qal li filwaqt li hu jwieġeb kull mistoqsija li ssirlu, Simon Busuttil irid jiffaċja l-konsegwenzi legali jekk jinstab li l-akkużi tiegħu kienu foloz.
Schembri żvela li hu kellu ftehim ta’ self ma’ Brian Tonna li jmur lura għall-elfejn u tnax. Xi ħaġa li dwarha ma riedx iwieġeb Simon Busuttil.
Għax l-elfejn u tnax huwa qabel il-Partit Laburista kien fil-gvern u qabel bdiet l-iskema ta’ ċittadinanza b’investiment. Schembri semma kif self simili u b’valuri ogħla ingħataw lil Allied Newsaper u lill-entitajiet kummerċjali tal-Partit Nazzjonalista. “Issa nistenna li Simon Busuttil jgħid li tħallast kickbacks mingħandhom ukoll,” qal Schembri fl-istqarrija tiegħu filwaqt li ħabbar li se jiftaħ il-libelli.
L-istqarrija kelma b’kelma
I outright deny and refute completely that I have ever received any kickbacks from Brian Tonna or anyone for that matter.
Simon Busuttil has chosen once again to resort to blatant lies and attempt a frame up, in his lust for power, repeating allegations made by Daphne Caruana Galizia almost a year ago, on the 24th of May, 2016.
I positively welcome that Simon Busuttil shall be going to the Magistrate leading the Inquiry so that even in this case, the truth of the matter shall become known to all. Just as I will gladly face any questions put to me on the matter, so too will Simon Busuttil have to face legal consequences if the Magistrate determines that his accusations have been false.
As I have already been available over the last days I will readily make myself available again to answer any questions that the Magistrate may feel the need to ask me.
For the record, Brian Tonna did settle a transaction of a loan for which the necessary evidence exists, which loan was made in 2012, and hence well before Labour entered Government and before the IIP scheme was conceived.
Similar and larger facilities were given by myself and my companies to Allied Newspapers and the Nationalist Party’s Media.link commercial arm. One might expect Simon Busuttil now to assume I have been paid kickbacks by them too.
Obviously I will be proceeding with libel proceedings against Simon Busuttil and his media – it is a shame that this is the only tool I have to protect my name, however I shall be making full use of it to ensure that my name is cleared.
