Candidates of the far-right Azzjoni Nazzjonali – the party which claims to uphold law and order as it core principles – are facing a spate of criminal charges and other claims of alleged illegalities, MaltaToday can confirm.
An AN candidate and candidates Paul Salomone and Pierre Cutajar, all face criminal charges, while AN deputy leader Anglu Xuereb faces claims in court by the Lands Department of illegal and abusive occupation of public land. He also owes government over €2 million over his property in Verdala, Rabat.
A particular AN candidate was named in the government gazette of 26 January 2007 as one of four accused before the Court of Magistrates as the court of criminal inquiry in the preliminary investigation brought by the police over a case of money laundering. His name cannot be published by court order.
The case involves the transfer of Lm900,000 (€2,096,440) from Italy into Maltese bank accounts, changed into two bank drafts and distributed through a brokerage company. The case concerns a five-year investigation started in 2001 between Italian and Maltese investigators. The criminal court ordered that all the money and moveable property belonging to the accused could not be transferred or disposed of in any way.
AN leader Josie Muscat has told MaltaToday that this candidate did not inform him of the case.
Deputy leader Anglu Xuereb is accused by the Lands Department of having “illegally and abusively” occupied public land in Qawra – namely the Suncrest Hotel and the Sunny Court Leisure Complex as claimed in the writ filed against him – and carrying out the construction of structures over it which he offered for use by third parties through public calls. He also faces court procedures by Malta Enterprise over €2 million in unpaid dues.
Paul Salomone, who is the party’s logistics secretary and a candidate on the first and 12th district, faces criminal charges for incitement to racial hatred.
Pierre Cutajar, the AN candidate on the second and third district, has an extensive criminal record: including car and shop thefts in three incidents in 1980 and 2001; perjury in 2005 and a case of possession of cannabis in 2005.
Despite the glaring record of being on the wrong side of the law, Azzjoni Nazzjonali on Friday held a press conference on “morality in politics”, also addressed by Dr Josie Muscat.
The press conference discussed the issue of morality in politics, particularly on the Roman Catholic beliefs of candidates and on the sacrament of baptism, and how “morality must be the starting point for the behaviour of any person who brushes with politics.”
Attacking “extreme liberalism”, attacking the Lisbon Treaty for introducing Maltese families to “divorce, abortion and cohabitation”, and the defence of hunters and trappers, were all hallmarks the press conference on morality on politics in which it was asked whether politicians are ready for “the exercise in political morality”.
Party leader Josie Muscat was asked by MaltaToday during the press conference what he would do if he knew of candidates who had problems with the law.
“They would have to leave. Anyone who wanted to contest for our party had to accept our principles. There were people whom we refused. But a person who would have committed a mistake in their life should not be punished for life if they would have reformed,” Muscat said.

‘Innocent until proven guilty’
Confronted on the police investigations into the money laundering case, the AN candidate whose name cannot be published by court order yesterday threatened he would sue if his name was mentioned. The names of the four defendants are in fact published in the government gazette of 26 February, 2007 – published four days after the Court of Magistrates issued a decree to attach in the hands of a third party all monies and moveable property belonging “to the accused mentioned above, or which are their property and prohibited the same accused from transferring or in any other way dispose from all property…”.
“The case is sub judice and I am innocent until proven guilty. In fact the police have not yet presented one shred of evidence,” the candidate said.
The candidate said that “whoever instigated this investigation will pay for it” and also claimed the investigations were “politically motivated”.
The police investigations began well before the candidate’s involvement with AN and the creation of Josie Muscat’s party.
Asked how he could reconcile AN’s lecture on morality in politics when facing investigations and accused in a case of money laundering investigated by both Italian and Maltese police, and challenged on why he hadn’t declared his position at law with AN, the candidate said he was bound by court order not to talk about the case.
But confronted on how AN accuses the courts of lack of transparency, the candidate claimed he wanted the names to be published but that this was resisted by the lawyers of the other three defendants. At this point, the candidate told MaltaToday he was recording the conversation.
This newspaper also put it to the candidate that it must have been in his interest not to have his name published, because the court order allowed him not to mention the fact that he stood accused by the police in a money laundering investigation.
“I am caught up in the net of the investigations because I am not even the subject of investigations. I cannot mention the other people’s names. And I say this case is immoral – it is immoral because of the way it has been carried and because people are suffering because of it. I have nothing to hide.”
He also said the case does not concern his role in AN: “It happened before I became part of Azzjoni Nazzjonali. I think you should watch your back, you’re only going to screw up (‘se tahraha’), and let me inform you that there is a court order on the mention of the case.”
He later called MaltaToday to inform the newspaper of the advertisements he takes out with this newspaper.

Xuereb: ‘Am I black?’
Anglu Xuereb yesterday said he had been awarded a concession on the land at Qawra when he applied for a tender, and that he had also been issue a permit to build his hotel and surrounding structures on it.
But he said when the government changed in 1987, he was faced with a court case opened by the Lands Department on the occupation of the land.
“The injustice committed against me in this case is that I tendered legally for my land while other applicants for surrounding areas were allowed to freely develop their land while I was not given the same treatment. I had all the permits but I was treated differently because I was in court. I reasoned that: why shouldn’t I get what they have been given too? What am I? Black?”
Xuereb said he was “tranquil” about his legal position, even if his party postured itself as the party of law and order. “This is what we are fighting for – justice. I didn’t go out for politics because of the injustices committed against me. That example of injustice is just a crumb of all the injustice committed against me. I’m going out for politics because of the injustices committed against all Maltese and Gozitans.”

Paul Salomone still in court
Paul Salomone was an active member of the right-wing pressure group Alleanza Nazzjonali Repubblikana, which had at its forefront Philip Beattie, today AN secretary-general.
Together they organised two marches against illegal immigrants, with Salomone threatening MaltaToday editor Saviour Balzan with “wrapping his newspaper round his neck”, while finding himself charged by police with incitement to racial hatred over his speech.
Contacted on Friday, Paul Salomone said: “First of all, the case you are referring to is still sub judice. Secondly, in that speech I had not incited any racial hatred. Read the speech word for word and see for yourself if there are any lies.”

Josie Muscat ‘satisfied with candidates’
Party leader Josie Muscat yesterday confirmed with MaltaToday he was aware of Pierre Cutajar’s criminal record and that he was assured by Cutajar that he was “now on the right track.”
“Pierre Cutajar is a normal, family man who works for his family. He was no trouble with the law and he is now on the right track. He assured me he has no pending cases.”
Asked whether he was comfortable about having a candidate accused of possessing cannabis when AN has a hardline stance against drugs, Muscat said Cutajar was not accused of trafficking. “It was possession of a small piece and he was released on probation,” Muscat claimed.
The AN leader also said he had not been informed by the AN candidate who was investigated and still faces charges into money laundering: “I have no idea. He never spoke to me. It’s a case that is sub judice. You can’t say he is guilty.”
He also defended Paul Salomone: “That case is sub judice. He was charged for incitement to racial hatred because that is a tactic used by the government to scare people. I defend every word in his speech. The court should have me on the dock to face.”
As for Anglu Xuereb’s land occupation, Josie said his deputy leader had already “explained the facts of the case on television.”
“I am satisfied with all my candidates being on the right track – I won’t defend anyone who is in the wrong, certainly,” he told MaltaToday.