Updated 4.50pm
The Nationalist Party has criticised Prime Minister Robert Abela over his decision to not remove MP Rosianne Cutajar from the Labour parliamentary group, saying she was holding him "hostage".
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, PN MPs Therese Comodini Cachia and Karol Aquilina said it was incomprehensible how Cutajar was still part of the Labour parliamentary group.
Abela announced on Monday that Cutajar would not be returning to her previous cabinet post after a report by Standards Commissioner George Hyzler found she had committed a number of ethics breaches.
But the MPs said this decision was not "serious enough" and did not reflect the severity of the problem.
"Abela continues to take decisions that negatively impact the island’s reputation. The fact he keeps Cutajar as a Labour MP means he does not have the power to take decisions. When one looks at the facts, the decision to keep Cutajar shows Abela’s weakness," Comodini Cachia said.
Cutajar has responded defiantly to the report, saying that she will not give up her seat in parliament and has every intention of contesting the next general election.
Comodini Cachia said on Tuesday that an election could not "erase the damage that has been done to Malta's reputation" by Cutajar's actions, and that Abela should not allow her to run the Labour ticket.
Meanwhile, Aquilina also said the prime minister missed out on a "golden opportunity" when he did not remove Cutajar. This, he said, could have been used to send "a clear message".
"Instead, PM chose to keep her, and this is because he is being held hostage by Cutajar because of the things she knows," Aquilina said, though he did not elaborate.
The pair also said Abela's behaviour was clearly a "continuation" of his predecessor Joseph Muscat, who they said would also keep people who were caught in acts of wrongdoing close to him.
In a response, the Labour Party brushed aside the PN's accusation.
"It is the Opposition leader, Bernard Grech, who does not decide, and understandably so. Because if he wanted to start taking hard decisions, he would have to start with himself," the PL said.