Prime Minister Robert Abela has “categorically" denied ordering senior police officers not to interrogate some of the people named in the magisterial inquiry into the privatisation deal for the running of three state hospitals.
He was responding to an article that appeared in MaltaToday on Sunday, which reported claims by unnamed Labour insiders, including senior cabinet ministers, that Abela had ordered senior police figures not to interrogate some of those named in the inquiry.
In a statement on Sunday evening, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) said Abela “denies categorically and in the most absolute way that he has ever given any direction similar to what has been maliciously reported.”
The Prime Minister’s office said the claims had been made "without verifying with the Office of the Prime Minister before publishing the report, which shows how much the intention was not to report factually and truthfully.”
The decision of who to interrogate was solely at the discretion of the executive branch of the police and the Attorney General, it said, stressing the Prime Minister “in no way interfered with the functions of the mentioned institutions.”
Abela had instead worked to strengthen the rule of law and independence of such offices, with the European Commission noting a “remarkable improvement” in the rule of law in Malta, the statement read.
It added that the Prime Minister “remains committed” to continuing such efforts.
Earlier on Sunday, rule-of-law NGO Repubblika said Abela should deny the accusations in the MaltaToday article, or resign.
“We call on the prime minister to deny the allegation that he gave instructions to the police on who they should or should not interrogate and who they should or should not bring to court,” it said in a statement.
“If he does not do so, he should resign before nightfall”, Repubblika said.
Meanwhile, commenting on the claims during a Net TV segment, Opposition leader Bernard Grech said Abela's administration had "reached its lowest ebb."
MaltaToday reported claims by insiders that the alleged order not to interrogate those named in the inquiry into the hospitals deal was aimed at “cushioning the impact of the conclusions on Joseph Muscat” - an alleged decision one insider called a “big and serious mistake.”
The claims appeared alongside assertions that the Prime Minister’s leadership was angering those within the government and the party.
Correction: This article was amended to correct a mistranslation of the statement from OPM.