The Nationalist Party today has called on police commissioner Michael Cassar to come clean and state whether the police are investigating various allegations concerning the Gozo Ministry.

Addressing a press conference, party deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami said that in spite of repeated reports in the media of public works ordered by Minister Anton Refalo in private places, including restaurants, the Police Commissioner has not stated whether these serious claims are being investigated.

He claimed that Dr Refalo still had free access to documents in the ministry which could be used by the police as proof of these allegations.

"It cannot be that the police give a free reign to Dr Refalo to do as he pleases when these allegations are being published in the media. Are the police making sure that evidence is not contaminated," Dr Fenech Adami asked.

He said that enough time has passed for the police commissioner to state what was  going on and put people's mind at rest that the police were taking these allegations seriously.

Dr Fenech Adami also challenged the Prime Minister to make sure Dr Refalo was kept in check and to act on the alleged abuse of public funds to accommodate private individuals in Gozo.

He said that the Nationalist Party believed justice should be equal to all.

GOVERNMENT REACTION

In a reaction, the government said Dr Fenech Adami’s comments were an attempt by the opposition to hide what used to take place when it was in government, in what had become known as ‘works for votes’ paid for from public funds.

Dr Fenech Adami had spoken about seven metres of concrete laid on a farmers' road to access their government-owned fields.

But the farmers had issued a declaration saying that the road was laid by Nadur local council in 2000, when the Mayor was none other than Chris Said. The seven-metre stretch of the 150-metre long road was improved by the government . Other works were carried out by the council.

The government said it had no problem with the police investigating all works done by the present ministry.

It said it was still waiting for the leader of the opposition to refresh his memory over what the whistleblower had told him about works for votes.