Prime Minister Robert Abela talked about everything from corruption and construction to abortion, Daphne Caruana Galizia and Joseph Muscat in his first interview with Times of Malta since he became prime minister nearly three years ago.

During the 50-minute interview, to be published on Sunday in Times of Malta, Abela came clean about the ‘mystery’ rent listed in his declaration of assets.

He disclosed the amount of rent he was charging per month, the duration of the rental agreement, the property and the tenants.

He also discussed abortion in detail, recalled meeting women who had had an abortion and signalled imminent amendments to the law.

He also talked about the future of Ħondoq ir-Rummien, construction policies, alleged corruption at Transport Malta and other government institutions, as well as his relationship with alleged kidnapper and money launderer Christian Borg.

During the interview, filmed at the Auberge de Castille on Friday, Abela reacted to Labour activists’ hate comments about Caruana Galizia and shared his thoughts on whether he would consider former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi as the next president.

The interview also tackled delayed policies surrounding the law on recreational use of cannabis, traffic congestion, the underground metro system and also the budget.

In the interview, Abela was also asked about his predecessor Muscat’s consultancy contracts and about his not-so-rosy comments on the state of the economy and tax cuts.