The government was yesterday accused of failure to eliminate any doubts about whether decisions on the Gaffarena property expropriation were taken at a higher level than Parliamentary Secretary Michael Falzon.

To eliminate those doubts, the government should use the Whistleblower Act, enabling anyone who knew more about the deal to come forward, Shadow Justice Minister Jason Azzopardi said.

He pointed to another piece of legislation, the Permanent Commission Against Corruption Act, which could also exempt people from criminal prosecution if they could shed light on the alleged corruption. Speaking at a press conference yesterday, he questioned whether decisions related to the scandal were taken at a higher level than Dr Falzon, who has since resigned.

Dr Azzopardi referred to the sworn statement given to the National Audit Office by the former director of estate management at the Land Department, Carmel (Charles) Camilleri.

Whose cross was this? It’s certainly not someone occupying a role beneath his, so it must be someone above him

Mr Camilleri had said he did not expose Dr Falzon’s involvement earlier because he had “felt threatened” by a man from Dr Falzon’s secretariat, Clint Scerri.

A week and a half had passed since the former director of estate management revealed this in a sworn statement. Yet the Prime Minister was conspicuously silent about the matter, Dr Azzopardi said. “The government doesn’t want to fight corruption because it’s corrupt at the core.”

The Prime Minister had encouraged the use of the Whistleblower Act in the allegations made against former Nationalist Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono but he had given no similar encouragement in the Gaffarena scandal.

The shadow minister also pointed out that the Permanent Commission Against Corruption Act had been used by the Labour government to enable evidence to emerge about five smart meters in the case of electricity theft two years ago.

The Times of Malta reported this week that the number of cases involving meter tampering had been overestimated.

“Two years ago the Attorney General exempted five people from criminal prosecution for them to testify on the tampering of five smart meters. I believe the Gaffarena scandal, involving some €3.5 million in taxpayers’ money, is far more serious.

“It’s about time the AG does the same in this case so the public can get the answers it deserves,” Dr Azzopardi said.

Dr Falzon had always insisted he was not the one who personally intervened in this deal and he was bearing somebody else’s cross.

“Whose cross was this? It’s certainly not someone occupying a role beneath his, so it must be someone above him.”

Dr Muscat was the first Prime Minister in the country’s political history to place the Land Department in his portfolio.

The investigation into the part expropriation of a property in Old Mint Street, Valletta, was initiated after this newspaper revealed details of the deal last May. The Gaffarena deal, the Auditor General report concluded, served no identified public purpose.

It allowed the government to acquire property worth €944,500, while Mr Gaffarena received €3.4 million: €516,000 in cash and €2.9 million in property.

Mr Gaffarena initiated the expropriation, chose the lands and was privy to inside information, which was against the law, the report stated.

“Such collusive action… was in clear breach of the fundamental principles of good governance, transparency and fairness,” the NAO concluded.

caroline.muscat@timesofmalta.com