Prime Minister Robert Abela denied reaching a deal with the former MP Ian Castaldi Paris to nominate him for the role of parliamentary Speaker in exchange for him not contesting the election.
Abela told Times of Malta that this was ‘spin reporting’ and that he excludes it. ‘There was never any such discussion between us’ said Abela.
This follows a report by Nationalist Party media NET News which said that Abela reached a secret electoral agreement with the former party backbencher. Castaldi Paris had revealed that he was not contesting the election last December following a Times of Malta report which exposed how he had been investigated by tax officials over thousands of euros in undeclared worth.
The backbencher was investigated by the Tax Compliance Unit after a local bank raised a red flag on Castaldi Paris. Sources privy to the audit said the MP’s unexplained wealth reached up to €1 million.
Paris had insisted that the amount of the undeclared income is significantly lower, though he has not yet elaborated. According to his obligatory financial filings, Paris has around €18,200 in bank savings.
#MaltaDaily