Speaker finds Konrad Mizzi to have, on the face of it, breached parliamentary privilege
The Speaker of the House has declared the Minister for Health and Energy to have breached parliamentary privilege, on the face of it, with his remarks in parliament about Opposition member George Pullicino.
Members of parliament are protected at law from civil suits and criminal prosecution for libel for what they say while in parliament, as long as this is done in good faith.
If they appear to be in bad faith, they are subject to breach of privilege complaints and then, if the Speaker rules the complaint to be justified, breach of privilege proceedings.
Konrad Mizzi said in parliament this week (when trying to deflect attention from his own problems with the power station) that he had met many businessmen who told him that George Pullicino is corrupt. Pullicino quite understandably objected and the Speaker asked Mizzi to substantiate his claim or withdraw it.
Mizzi refused to withdraw it, saying that he could substantiate it. He then produced documents which had nothing to do with his claim.
The Speaker said that he was not satisfied with the Minister for Health and Energy’s response, and declared him prima facie in breach of privilege, referring the case to the House Privileges Committee.
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http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141022/local/energy-minister-found-prima-facie-in-breach-of-privilege.540798
Times of Malta need to update their Konrad Mizzi photo. He needs to be three sizes larger and look much more bloated.
Is this meant to deflect attention from the power station March 2015 deadline that won’t be happening after all?
It seems that they are not succeeding in deflecting attention. What seems to be succeeding is that the blame is pointing to the minister instead of the prime minister.
Could Minister Konrad Mizzi be the next fall guy?
Well said – this is the PL’s tactic. When something negative crops up and the PL is in a corner out comes some sort of an invented accusation to divert the attention of the public.
George Pullicino should challenge Konrad to repeat what he said in Parliament outside of it and sue him blue.
Its called ‘Obfuscation’.
And they have been doing it from day one of them being in office, and even before that.
Muscat lied again about the power station delay last Sunday. Jeez, he lies even on Sundays. That counts double.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141013/local/Gas-plant-is-delayed-by-couple-of-months-PM.539483
He said that “The gas power station will be delayed by “a couple of months not years”, the Prime Minister yesterday told supporters in Marsaxlokk.”
Now Konrat Mizzi has repeated this week that the project execution takes 18 months. Marketing literature (such as that on Gasol’s website) suggests that 18 months is an indicative time-frame for small projects.
Some land clearance activity was noted by the Malta Independent on 9 October.
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-10-09/local-news/Updated-Preparatory-excavations-dredging-works-being-carried-out-Delimara-gas-power-station-site-6736123369
Let us assume the project has started.
Counting 18 months from the beginning of October, this means the project will not be ready before March 2016, exactly as TradeWinds had reported. Konrat Mizzi had accused TradeWinds to be speculating.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140725/local/Delimara-gas-fired-plant-still-on-track-for-March.529112
The prime minister’s “couple of months” is a far cry from a one year delay from March 2015 to March 2016, so he was lying once again.
Now, let it be known that the PN has been warned:
There will be general elections around March-June 2016.
“Il-kontijiet rahhasnijjjom; il-pawer stejxin bjejnijjja; ic-cumnija waqqajnijjja…”
“Some land clearance activity was noted by the Malta Independent on 9 October.”
Who’s paying for this work?
My calculated guess is that it is not Electrogas. They do not have the financing in place. Siemens confirmed this a couple of weeks ago to The Malta Independent.
And Electrogas is still involved in three-some negotiations, remember?
I didn’t expect that ruling from the Speaker. The Speaker should watch his back,
Perhaps Konrad should watch his. We know the chief gnome loves a scapegoat.
The Minister will be sacrificed to save the anointed one.
This was such a clear-cut case of breach of privilege that even the monumental fuck-wit Anglu Farrugia could see it.
What a brilliant 3-word label for the party of clumps, stooges, theives and liars.
I think it’s going to stick: it slides so truly off the tongue.
The Monumental Fuck-Wit party.
Bahnan u imbecilli. Does Min. Mizzi still believe that the majority of Malta are gullible fools? The tide is turning and he will be one of the first individuals from the Moviment Progresssiffff to have to relocate to another country because of shame. I am sure China would accept him.
This is quite understandable.
Mizzi is under attack on all fronts.
He has proved to be an unmitigated failure.
He is behaving just like a cornered rat.
Who can blame him?
I suspect that not only has he misled the entire country but also the PM.
He is most certainly in the soup.
Stop trying to excuse the PM. The PM has never been misled; he knows exactly who he has surrounded himself with.
He appointed those people precisely because they are incompetent. The PM is your classic bully who will only surround himself with yes men, who take the fall when the shit hits the fan.
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-10-22/local-news/Police-academy-and-prison-left-in-disastrous-state-Home-Affairs-Minister-Manuel-Mallia-says-6736124251
Mhux ahjar jieqaf jeqred fuq x’ allegatament sab, u jibda jahdem u itejjeb is-sitwazjoni li qed jghid li sab. What a waste of space… and a lot of it for that matter.
Is Konrad taking the fall for Muscat?
If I`m not mistaken both Mizzi and Mallia together with Muscat.
I think this has been way overblown by Mr. Pullicino and the opposition. Mr. Mizzi said something along these lines: “taf kemm naf businessmen li jghidu fuqek!” He didn’t say that businessmen said that he’s corrupt. Yes Mr. Mizzi acted very childishly and insulted Mr. Pullicino repeatedly but is this a beach of privilege? And if it’s not, why is the PN going down this route when there’s a risk that this will overshadow the important matters?
So in your opinion, when the Leader of the Opposition was found to be in breach of parliamentary privilege (also prima facie) for something he said about the Dalligate and the PM’s interference in the case (which is the truth, by the way), it was ok for the PM to turn the Privilege Committee into a court to ‘arraign’ the Dr. Busuttil?
Mr. Mizzi was found guilty prima facie, it means that he used the word “corrupt” and he exactly expressed himself along those lines. It is not “something along these lines”, he actually said the words.
Don’t worry Fiona, this will not overshadow the power station fiasco. As a matter of fact, I think the failures of this government in the energy sector will continue to drag on until the next general elections.
Shouldn’t breach of privilege be abolished and MPs be subject to the same libel laws as us common mortals?
The Speaker’s English is improving in leaps and bounds.
Strange really, when only last week the interview aired showed the quality of his English expression to be no different to how it’s always been.
As though the fated Mow Raal O Tor ty came into it.
Baxxter, time for that Trilby.
Have we changed hats now? And what’s Yana up to these days?
Reaping the benefits from a property that was never her father’s?
John Dalli was so fortunate in the team members he picked.
What a strange assortment of coincidences.
And what is Kon-rat doing with the health area?
George Pullicino asked the Commissioner of Police to check of Con Rat Mizzi’s allegations. Let us just wait and see.