Opposition leader Adrian Delia asked on Thursday what action the prime minister would take against Joseph Muscat, still a serving MP, following damning court testimony earlier in the day.
In a message on the PN media, Delia said testimony which showed Muscat's closeness to the man accused of masterminding the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder, as well as the alleged involvement of former chief of staff Keith Schembri threatened democracy.
"Abela cannot act like it is business as usual," Delia said.
He asked whether the deal for Muscat to step down in favour of Abela involved taking no action and ensuring that justice was not served.
This whole case including the way how a gang of criminals had taken over the Labour Party and the government was continuing to undermine Malta's credibility abroad, Delia said.
Malta could only emerge from this dark shadow when the culture of impunity was lifted, when criminals were no longer protected, when all the institutions were allowed to work, when effective action was taken against all criminals, and when there was justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia.
The PN, he said, would support the police in their duties and he urged all responsible not to give in to blackmail and intimidation. The people, he said, needed peace of mind and assurance that all those who committed a crime were held to account.
Repubblika: Abela cannot act like Pontius Pilate
Rule of law group Repubblika said the testimony heard in court had continued to bring the Caruana Galizia murder case closer to the Office of the Prime Minister.
The group said Prime minister Robert Abela could no longer act like Pontius Pilate, shirking responsibility. Abela was head of the government and head of a parliamentary group of which Joseph Muscat was a member. Yet it appeared that Abela could not dismiss Muscat, even though Chris Cardona and Konrad Mizzi had departed.
Furthermore, there appeared to elements within the country's institutions who wanted to protect Muscat and Keith Schembri. Could anyone be sure that evidence was not being ignored, or hidden? Abela, as prime minister, also had a duty to ensure that this did not happen.