The police are investigating new claims of private works having been carried out using public funds by the Gozo Ministry over the past two years, Times of Malta has learnt.

Senior police sources said fresh allegations made in the past weeks were being investigated as part of the broader “works for votes” scam which, last week, saw Tony Debono, the husband of former PN Gozo minister Giovanna, being arraigned on corruption charges. The works done for constituents with public funds were uncovered after a whistleblower blew the lid on the racket back in March.

The new investigation covers works allegedly done on a concrete platform at a Marsalforn restaurant as well as works in private properties in Għasri, Xagħra, Għajnsielem, Munxar and Victoria allegedly carried out more recently.

The police sources said the fresh probe formed part of the wider inquiry already under way into irregular Gozo works carried out over the years.

There is no cut-off period for the Gozo works investigation

Contacted for a reaction, Police Commissioner Michael Cassar would not comment or provide details of the case. However, when pressed on the matter he asked Times of Malta: “Have I ever not investigated something brought to my attention?”

He added that there was “no cut-off period” for the Gozo works investigation and all claims related to the matter would be treated the same way irrespective of when they occurred.

He would not comment on whether Gozo Minister Anton Refalo was also being investigated in relation to the latest revelations.

On Tuesday Opposition deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami called on Mr Cassar to “come clean” on whether Mr Refalo was being investigated. He said the issue required police action and questioned why the police had not revealed whether Mr Refalo was under investigation.

At a press conference held to address the latest developments, Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis yesterday said one of the alleged works committed under Mr Refalo’s tenure was a concrete road built in private fields in Nadur.

This, he said, had actually started in 2002 back when Ms Debono was still minister. The works had also occurred while outgoing Nationalist Party general secretary Chris Said was mayor of the town.

Turning to the Opposition’s calls for an investigation into Mr Refalo, Dr Zammit Lewis said the government and the Labour party had no influence over what the police looked into.

He also urged anyone with any more information on abuses in Gozo to come forward. He said the Whistleblower’s Act had been set up precisely for this purpose and anyone with information was obliged to inform the authorities.

In a statement, the Nationalist Party later said the time had come for Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to take action on Mr Refalo.

The PN questioned why Mr Refalo had not attended the PL press conference to defend himself. Instead he had sent two other Labour MPs to speak on his behalf, it added.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.