PN MPs meet owner of 17 Black to seek conference sponsorship

Nationalist Party MPs Kristy Debono and Hermann Schiavone on Friday met the owner of once-secret Dubai company 17 Black to seek “possible sponsorship” related to a conference. Last year, in a joint investigation by the Times of Malta and Reuters, Mr Fenech was identified as the owner of 17 Black, which had been named in leaked e-mails as one of two companies that would pay $2 million to Panama companies belonging to the Prime Minister’s chief of staff Keith Schembri and Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi. The PN has called for the pair’s resignations over what it considers a major scandal blighting the country’s international reputation. Sources told The Sunday Times of Malta on Saturday that at around 11.15am on Friday, Ms Debono and Mr Schiavone walked into the office of Mr Fenech on the 21st floor of the Portomaso Tower. Contacted on Saturday, Ms Debono initially denied holding such a meeting and when pressed by The Sunday Times of Malta to state whether or not she had indeed met Mr Fenech, the MP and president of the PN’s General Council asked for questions to be sent via e-mail. In reply to these questions, Ms Debono confirmed meeting the Tumas Group CEO and Electrogas power...