The Nationalist Party on Tuesday called for an urgent debate on the Standards Commissioner’s report on the detention of journalists at Castille during the 2019 political crisis.

In the report, the commissioner had found the Office of the Prime Minister under former prime minister Joseph Muscat guilty of an ethics breach after journalists were held against their will at Castille.

On November 29, 2019, journalists were stopped from leaving the office of the prime minister after a news conference with Muscat following a marathon cabinet meeting that stretched into the early hours of the morning. 

The PN said in a statement on Tuesday that committee members had received the report on February 11.

As no meeting was called, it requested, repeatedly, an urgent meeting for the committee to decide whether the report should be published and whether a presentation should be given by Commissioner George Hyzler.

The meeting should also decide whether the report should be adopted and which sanctions should be imposed, it said.

But no dates had as yet been set for the requested meeting, the party said, adding that although Speaker Anġlu Farrugia was making an effort for one to be held as soon as possible, government MPs were not cooperating.

It was clear that the government did not want to debate the report, doing its utmost to protect Muscat.

This is “unacceptable” it said, as it again called for "an urgent meeting".