In an exclusive comment to MaltaDaily, President George Vella delved into why the amount of €60,000 was spent for his visit to the UK upon Queen Elizabeth II’s passing.
Asked by MaltaDaily’s Keane Cutajar whether the figures were a bit excessive, the president explained that these figures had been confirmed through a freedom of information request for two years.
The President questions why these figures are being revealed now and said that the figures being so high is not an issue. The circumstances which saw the president and his wife traveling to the UK were extraordinary due to the passing of the queen.
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With all flights being booked, a quote for prices revealed that flying private was cheaper than Air Malta. The hotels were also more expensive than normal, with the president saying that prices tripled due to the influx of visitors.
When asked about Istrina, which sees the public donate large sums of money for charity, the President said the presidency has a budget for travel.
When state visits take place, he said, it does not come cheap but is willing to reveal the figures without holding back. The budget is passed through the budget, with spending being wrong if it goes over said budget and the receipts do not match the spending amount.
Vella concluded that he would only find a problem with these reports if there were things which were not in order and that the visit did not follow the established rules and conventions.
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