Konrad Mizzi’s “shady deals” has cost taxpayers hundreds of millions and the government's delay to sack him prolonged the squandering of public funds, the opposition leader said on Wednesday in parliament.

“It seems like Prime Minister Robert Abela only became aware of Mizzi’s involvement in the Panama Papers scandal and his relationship with 17 Black yesterday even though these dealings had been in the public domain for years,” Adrian Delia said.

The opposition leader levelled this criticism in his first reaction to the Labour Party’s decision to kick out Mizzi, after the latter refused to acquiesce to the prime minister’s call to resign from the parliamentary group.

Delia said that in his six months at the helm, the prime minister distinguished himself for prolonging decisions, until he would be forced to act after being overwhelmed by circumstances.

He noted that under Konrad Mizzi’s watch taxpayers were paying an extra €96 million per year for electricity generation due to the Electrogas (power station) deal. Delia also referred to the hospitals concession agreement which he said was costing a further €90 million annually and the €100 million penalty clause which Mizzi negotiated in case the agreement would be rescinded.

The opposition leader also referred to the controversial €10 million deal for a wind farm in Montenegro from which Daphne Caruana Galizia murder suspect earned €4.6 million.

“Had Mizzi been sacked when the alarm bells had gone, all these millions would have been saved,” Delia said.

“This is the ultimate yardstick on which the government should be judged,” he added.

He also pointed out that Abela, as well as the rest of the parliamentary group who had rejected a no-confidence motion in Mizzi, had to shoulder some degree of responsibility for their blind support in him.

The opposition leader pledged that a PN government would investigate all the deals made by Mizzi and ensure that all the funds robbed from taxpayers be refunded with interest.