Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech on Wednesday challenged Prime Minister Robert Abela to demand a police investigation into claims that any PN MPs, past or present, were involved in the benefits fraud racket.

He said he was sure that Abela would not take up this challenge as it was all “a big lie”.

Addressing the party faithful at the annual Independence Day mass meeting, Grech dwelled on how the Labour Party had taken advantage of the most vulnerable to benefit electorally.

“Our ancestors fought for jobs, justice and freedom. While there are those who are now seeking truth and justice, there is Robert Abela and his people selling fake disability benefits to take advantage of people and their votes.

"These people do not afford to go in opposition. The chosen few continue to line their pockets and the rest take the crumbs. They were not there to help those who needed most but they benefitted from this scandal,” he said.

“Robert Abela is an accomplice because even he benefited by stealing people’s votes. For the government, disability was only a means to an end,” Grech said.

They are defrauding the most vulnerable and those who genuinely suffer from a disability, he added.

He said Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà  was not carrying out his job and described him as the Police Commissioner “who goes after the small fry but who’s scared of the big fish”.

He listed the scandals that were revealed this summer, including an attempt to humiliate Jean Paul Sofia’s family.

“We fought hard for a public inquiry and two days after calling us names, he had a change of heart because he noticed that the country had turned against him.

"Then there were blackouts. They could not admit that it was all their fault. In 10 years, they did not invest in the distribution of electricity. They only have one plan: corruption,” Grech said.

He said the Maltese economy was based on cheap labour and that the government’s only vision was to balloon the population to 800,000 people.

“This policy brought people to Malta who pay to share a bed. One uses it during the day and another uses the same bed at night while the other one is at work. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Where is the dignity,” he asked.

“This is our promise to you and to the country: a new PN-led government that gives Malta the breath of fresh air that it direly needs. Let us all work for our country to become once again a respected one. The PN is the only party that can offer this,” he ended.