MP Franco Debono has expressed solidarity with entrepreneur Charles Polidano, known as Caqnu, adding that “just like me he is suffering after ending in the crosshairs of Daphne Caruana Galizia and Lawrence Gonzi”.

Speaking to di-ve.com following his blogpost entitled ‘Poor Caqnu’ Dr Debono said that albeit being one of his constituents he barely knows Charles Polidano and met him only twice in the past.

Dr Debono told di-ve.com that the “Prime Minister is viciously attacking me and others from behind paper screens like Ms Caruana Galizia’s blog. If the Prime Minister believes that people are not seeing through these tactics he is sorely mistaken. The Maltese are currently living a lie with people occupying key positions becoming bigger than the institution itself and political parties holding themselves above the law.”

The Prime Minister has no right to assign a value to the votes of the public and a person who does not vote should be considered as a non-voter and not as someone who voted for the opposite party. Dr Gonzi’s comment stating that who does not vote will be in fact voting for labour is a proof of the sheer arrogance of the Prime Minister,” Dr Debono said.

Dr Debono reiterated his challenge to the Prime Minister to stop using blogs and the media and face him in a public debate.

The PN MP said that he personally did not read the blogs of Daphne Caruana Galizia but people in his circle kept him abreast of what she writes including her recent blogs about a contract of sale for Marsaxlokk land worth €3.6 million between one of Mr Polidano’s companies and the daughters of the late Dom Mintoff. The blogs suggested that the land was outside the development zone and eventually amended before being sold alleging irregularity in the process.

However AD spokesperson, Carmel Caccopardo, argued publicly that the main part of the land in question was included in the development zone back in 1989 with the blessing of PN Minister Michael Falzon. Mr Caccopardo also challenged the alleged purchase price of the land by the Mintoff sisters as quoted by Ms Caruana Galizia.