I’m watching the live press conference on Super One

Published: February 16, 2013 at 7:27pm

A bullfrog, a snake and somebody with major conflict of interest: lovely. All three of them look so very shifty – Manuel Mallia, Evarist Bartolo and David Farrugia Sacco.

They are all on edge after Austin Gatt’s press conference this afternoon, which I missed but am told by all was an absolute triumph. I shall upload it later.

Maybe our journalists have realised at last how wrong they were to take those ’emails’ as fact without questioning the context, the origin, the source or the motivation.

Let’s put it this way: the Labour Party actually covered up a case of repeated cocaine-dealing at a Labour Party club, just to protect its interests and save itself from bad press coverage.

What else, then, is it prepared to do?




27 Comments Comment

  1. Here's the link says:

    Austin Gatt’s press conference this afternoon

    http://youtu.be/yn6GIG9zuQc

  2. Karl Flores says:

    Typical of the MLP. History repeats itself, no?

  3. edgar says:

    I saw both. Austin was brilliant, calm and gave the impression that he knew exactly what he was saying and has much more to tell.

    The bullfrog, slippery snake and ‘bouncer looking’ Farrugia Sacco went home to change their brown-stained pants.

  4. pablo says:

    Did I hear right? Mallia has just admitted to being legal counsel to the Farrugia brothers and that this also included overseas meetings with oil companies on their behalf.

    He flatly denied the assertion made by Lou in Bondiplus – yesterday – that he was their legal counsel and this was taken as the truth.

    If I heard right, Mallia is a switcher in more ways than one.

    And David Farrugia Sacco – why did he (two days ago) mention 10,000 emails as being out there, and today, he says that those 10,000 emails are about something else.

  5. Randolph Peresso says:

    Exactly. One can expect aything from a party which does not only cover up cocaine dealing in one if its clubs, but when caught, shamelessly defends its actions.

  6. Mario Mercieca says:

    X`gutz ghandek Daphne tara is super one

  7. D Gatt says:

    Oh you were told by all that it was an absolute triumph?

    Did you carry out a vox pop in Bieb il-Belt by any chance? Maaaaaaaa what pits!

    [Daphne – No. I spoke to several of my peers, who have a good sense of how things come across and can be trusted to give an honest and factual opinion.]

    • AE says:

      I saw Austin Gatt on Net and I too thought he was clear, calm and direct. He did not come across as someone who has anything to hide. One might not like the man all the time but that doesn’t make him guilty of what he is being accused of.

      There is something amiss here and there obviously is a hidden hand (or two or is it three) trying to throw mud on the man and thus detract the attention from the real policies.

      It seems to be the typical Labour manner of doing things – throw mud hoping some of it will stick, whilst at the same time claiming they are running a positive campaign.

      I recall once reading an Italian saying to the effect that “chi butta i fango sulle stelle, i fango scivola e cadde su quelli che l’hanno butato”. I hope that happens here.

  8. afm says:

    I have followed all press conferences. Looks like the three kings have been taken to task and have loads to answer for.

    If I understood correctly, Austin Gatt said a particular email originated from Evarist. In his anger Varist said he was ‘tagged’.

    Mallia confirmed what Austin implied re his travelling to Geneva.

    Farrugia Sacco with his hanging head was at a total loss and avoided questions by explaining how he will defend his reputation.

    Joseph Muscat is surrounded by a bunch of wishful pretenders with incongruent logical deductions, just like him.

    • La Redoute says:

      Gatt did not say the email originated from Evarist.

      He said that the Times picked up a photo from Evarist Bartolo’s Facebook page.

      Bartolo said the photo was tagged with his name, and that’s why it showed up on his FB. My reaction was ‘so what?’ It was on his page, plain and simple, a page he’s responsible for maintaining. He still hasn’t removed that photograph.

      Labour are quick to erase anything they disapprove of, right down to clearing out their own online archives to erase all traces of Muscat in his previous incarnation. We may therefore conclude that Evarist Bartolo did not remove the photo because he approves of it being there.

  9. Antoine Vella says:

    Manwel Mallia is not a star candidate but a Star Wars one, the only Maltese politician to feature in a Spielberg film.

    http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100915194256/starwars/images/7/7f/Jabba_SWSB.png

  10. Gbow says:

    At the end of the press conference Dr Sacco was asked how is that he is claiming that he only saw the emails in question when published on Maltatoday since in a previous interview he had also said that what was published was only few out of thousands of emails – I presume while working for the Farrugia brothers. His answer was that while working for the Farrugia brothers on legal matters related to syphoning of funds, he saw only emails concerning this subject and nothing related to commissions and the minister. Isn’t this odd? How can one see through thousands of emails exchanged between the same people involved in this and not notice direct references to A.G., or the minister ? Can one filter, sort or catalogue emails using subjects such as ‘corruption-related only’ or ‘current legal job’?

  11. Tal Madum says:

    Mr Bullfrog managed to single himself out as the sole candidate with a huge billboard of not less than a storey and a half of his profile, in Msida.

    Really disgusting!

    Who does he think he is?

  12. Gahan says:

    I am inclined to believe Austin Gatt’s version of what actually happened.

    Maltese language was introduced on PC’s after 1996 . The Times published the email with a Maltese date: Gunju 1994.

    The email seems to have originated from Evarist’s FB page.

    Manuel Mallia and David Farrugia Sacco were legal council to George Farrugia’s brothers in a lawsuit involving the syphoning of funds by George from his brothers. An IT audit was done on George’s computers.Manuel Mallia went abroad to Geneva on behalf of his clients to meet an oil supplier

    Austin declared that he or his wife do not own any property abroad. He wishes he had a villa near Lago di Garda but he only has two flats in Marsalforn Bay.

    In 2005 he declared that he had a Swiss UBS fund which he inherited from his late father forty years ago. The fund did not give any dividends, no incomes were added.(As far as I know, accumulator funds are not taxable).

    Saviour Balzan arrived breathless during question time and unequivocally stated that Dr Austin Gatt is not involved in the oil scandal. He has the downloaded emails on a disc.

    I also watched the three on ONE.

    They made me recall the joke about a journalist who asked a lawyer “Is it true that you lawyers reply to a question with another question?”

    “Who told you?” came the immediate reply.

    Evarist referred to some inspector Clouseau in his questions to the journalists, he pointed his accusing finger to this inspector not to Gatt.

    Journalists should not take anything for granted, they should have asked him who this inspector was.

    My question: “Does George Farrugia have any rights on those emails which Saviour has? Could someone retrieve sensitive commercial information from those emails?”

    • Jozef says:

      Evarist’s problem is Alfred Mifsud’s appearances on ONE.
      Can’t have him spoiling the fun at the MFSA. Coincidentally, Anglu came out in a rash as well.

      It’s the party against the TV station.

      Explains why the old guard is revised by newspeak everyday.

      If Charles Mangion says they decided to take up the PN’s sick leave proposal on TVM, ONE’s slick new faces sell it as the original, adding how the tired PN couldn’t even dream anything like it.

      The movement discards itself calling a mirror image the PN.

      As sick as Baby Jane.

    • Gahan says:

      Read 2006 instead of 1996 and 2004 instead of 1994.

  13. Peppa says:

    That’s why Mallia flipped with Labour two years ago because he had this information being the lawyer of the Farrugia’s brothers.

    He went to Joseph in return of something which Muscat agreed too. Who knows being a minister? A president? A judge?

    One thing still I would like to know now: did Mallia go to Muscat with his clients’ blessing?

    If not, Mallia will be in trouble, being our lawyer and you go and spill our family problems with Muscat without our authorazition. Hope time will tell us.

  14. makjavel says:

    Is Saviour Balzan feeling duped by those he trusted?

  15. Curious says:

    Daphne, I have always thought that the PL energy plan is so flawed that there must really be something so fundamental wrong about this whole affair.

    Today we have the answer and the picture is so clear.

    It is so flawed because they started the other way round and wanted a reason for their diabolic plan.

    The primary aim was to nail Austin Gatt (and with him all the PN, or so they thought) and this was the departing point.

    So they wanted a good and nicely wrapped excuse. That’s why they came up with this fiasco of a new power station.

    They have been concocting all this for two years. They worked backwards. Simply unbelievable. The new gas-fired power station had to be the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle to finish their lifetime enemy Austin Gatt. But Tonio Fenech caught them out. THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS. SO TRUE.

    • Tabatha White says:

      And to think that the stooges had 25 whole years to think of a decent strategy and they’re not even capable of that. Dejjem bl-qerq.

  16. ciccio says:

    Labour needs to put three of its own together to match the equivalent of one Minister from the PN.

    The same happens with the Minister of Finance.

    Are they running special offers, like 3 for the price of 1?

  17. TROY says:

    An absolute triumph,from a majestic man.

    Savior Balzan’s tail was wedged between his legs.

  18. sammy says:

    Saviour who?

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