The Nationalist Party has said that PL MEP Daniel Attard is already trying to “shift the blame onto his assistant” after it emerged that Belgian authorities are seeking to question him in relation to an ongoing bribery probe.
Belgian authorities have filed a request to question Attard as part of a wider investigation involving allegations of bribery by Chinese technology company Huawei. This was revealed by Attard himself, who said that the matter related to a football match he attended at the invitation of one of his assistants.
Attard said that he has formally requested “to be heard by the relevant authorities to provide a full statement and account of events in a spirit of full cooperation and transparency” and he has also written to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola to request the waiving of his parliamentary immunity.
The PN meanwhile said in a statement that Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Robert Abela “must urgently declare what action he intends to take against Attard, who is currently under criminal investigation by the Belgian Police.”
The party said that Belgian authorities have requested that his parliamentary immunity be lifted so that he can be subject to criminal investigation and that so far, Daniel Attard is the only known MEP for whom such a request has been made in connection with this scandal.
“In an attempt to defend himself, the Labour MEP is already trying to deflect attention by shifting the blame onto his Assistant,” the PN said.
The PN said that the Huawei corruption scandal involves alleged bribery of Assistants, and now even MEPs, in the European Parliament, through gifts including trips and regular invitations to football matches, with the aim of influencing political decisions in favour of commercial interests at EU level. The scandal also includes allegations of money laundering.
Labour’s response: PN rushes to politically destroy Labour MEP Daniel Attard
In a statement, the Labour Party said that upon his own initiative, before he was even asked to do so, and with no corruption allegations in his regard, Labour MEP Daniel Attard asked to have his parliamentary immunity immediately withdrawn so that he would be able to answer all questions and explain all the facts.
It said that MEP Attard is not facing any accusations, and notwithstanding, he expressed his full disposition, without any conditions whatsoever, to answer all questions put to him.
“It is no surprise, however, that the PN wants to destroy another Labour Party politician. That is exactly what they did with Carmelo Abela, and after it became clear that the PN lied, they did not have the basic decency to apologise,” the PL said.