The Ombudsman’s report should have been enough for Parliamentary Secretary Ian Borg to resign, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil insisted yesterday.

He said the report about how Ian Borg obtained permits for his properties near Rabat was damning enough and he did not require the outcome of the probe by the Corruption Commission before stepping down.

Dr Busuttil was speaking during the party’s fund-raising marathon.

The Ombudsman’s verdict was that the permit was issued in “grave error” and should be reviewed.

“The least Dr Borg could have done was to suspend himself until the Corruption Commission takes its decision,” Dr Busuttil said. He added that, although the right thing would have been to resign, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat should have removed him.

“But the laws and standards which they expect of us, apparently, do not apply to them,” Dr Busuttil said. “The law is there for everyone except Ian Borg, or Michael Falzon, who seven months on has not shouldered responsibility for the Gaffarena case [involving the sale of half a property to the government],” Dr Busuttil said.

He said that, on the other hand, the opposition was setting standards outlined in a good governance document it issued earlier this month. He welcomed comments made earlier in the day by President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca on the way people, especially politicians, addressed each other, saying the government was repeatedly being aggressive when faced with criticism.

By the time of going to print, the Nationalist Party had collected more than €200,000. The PL raised €561,139 in an all-day fund-raising marathon on Saturday.