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Alternattiva Demokratika leader Harry Vassallo has asked the President to reconsider a plea that he had made for a presidential pardon after a court ordered his imprisonment over the failure of a company he represented 10 years ago to submit VAT returns, a statement from AD said.

Speaking at a press conference at Sliema this afternoon, Dr Vassallo blamed the Nationalist Party for the timing of this case, saying that the court issued the order five months ago but he only learnt about it today from a Net TV journalist hours before he was himself informed by the police.

Explaining the case, Dr Vassallo said he had originally been fined Lm6,000 because a company he last represented 10 years ago failed to submit its returns. However while he was involved in the running of this company, all returns were submitted on time and all taxes were paid, he added.

But, Dr Vassallo said, since he continued to be shown as being the person responsible to submit the returns, legal action had been taken against him and he was fined. Dr Vassallo said he had appeared in court several times to explain that he could not present the company’s returns since he had nothing to do with the company for more than 10 years. However, in terms of the law, it appeared that the court had had no choice but to fine him..

He had therefore submitted a request for a presidential pardon. The request was denied, and he had now submitted an application for reconsideration of the case.

Dr Vassallo said that after a press conference today, a Net TV journalist asked him whether he knew that he had been condemned to go to prison. At that time, Dr Vassallo said., he had not known anything but at 4.15pm two police officers turned up at his office and served him with documents dated October the 10th 2007 informing him that the fine had been converted into a two year prison term.

Dr Vassallo said that ever since he became AD leader he had had no time to practice his profession, let alone be involved in business activities, and his income was Lm400 as a party employee. He could not, therefore, pay the fine.

Dr Vassallo said he did not think it reasonable to be fined thousands of liri because empty returns had not been submitted, this when he did not have any tax payment due.

He had waged his battle in private because of his personal interest, Dr Vassallo said, but now that the Nationalist Party had chosen to make it public, he promised to wage a campaign for law enforcement to be reasonable. People who failed to submit a piece of paper could not be treated like violent criminals, he added.

As for the prison order, Dr Vassallo reiterated that he had again appealed for a reconsideration by the President as he had committed no crime and the failure to submit the VAT return was not his own.

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