Speaker says he walked out of ethics committee meeting due to disorder

Speaker Anglu Farrugia said he walked out of an ethics committee meeting on Tuesday as a result of disorder and shouting by its members.

Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Farrugia said he will be in contact with both government and Opposition members so that the meeting can resume.

The committee was discussing a report by Standards Commissioner George Hyzler, who found an ethics breach by former Parliamentary Secretary Rosianne Cutajar in a controversial Mdina property deal.

Farrugia walked out of the meeting amid disagreement by member MPs over who should be called to testify. The government MPs – Edward Zammit Lewis and Glenn Bedingfield – wanted to summon tax commissioner Marvin Gaerty alone. But the two PN MPs – Karol Aquilina and Therese Comodini Cachia – insisted that Cutajar’s associated, Charles Farrugia, should also be summoned.

Farrugia, known as it-Tikka, has seemingly taken the fall for Cutajar, declaring with the tax authorities the entire brokerage fee relating to the deal which involved 17 Black owner Rosianne Cutajar. It is alleged that the brokerage fee was split between them, with the duo pocketing some €45,000 each from the seller, and another amount from Fenech.

The Speaker said he had suspended the meeting on Tuesday after having tried to reach an agreement over who should testify. His calls for order were ignored by the four members, who shouted at each other.

He said the meeting could not continue after a quorum was made in the plenary sitting.

Farrugia said he had earlier voted for further investigation into Cutajar. The Opposition wanted the committee to endorse Hyzler’s report, but the government MPs said they wanted to look further into the matter before doing so. In the end, the Speaker used his casting vote, and the Opposition’s motion was shot down.

Source: Independent Malta Speaker says he walked out of ethics committee meeting due to disorder
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