Opposition MP Toni Bezzina is being interrogated by police over alleged corruption dating back to 2012. 

Bezzina, the Nationalist Party transportation shadow minister, arrived at the Financial Crime Investigation Department shortly after 2pm on Monday accompanied by his lawyer Joe Giglio.

It is understood that the investigation relates to claims Bezzina used government workers to do works on a PN club in his constituency of Zurrieq back in 2012. 

The matter, which allegedly occurred in the run up to the local council elections, had been reported in newspapers Kullħadd and L-Orizzont. 

In 2016, Bezzina lost a libel case he had filed over the newspaper reports but won an appeal of that decision one year later.

At the time of the alleged wrongdoing, Bezzina, an architect, had been employed by the Public Works Department. 

However, one of the three workers - Charles Curmi - testified that he was forced to sign a document which he disagreed with since it stated that the workers went to the club out of their own free will. 

Times of Malta has reached out to Bezzina for a comment. 

Speaking on Sunday, PN leader Bernard Grech weighed in on the matter.  

He said it was interesting how the police had started investigating these matters as a general election looms. 

He asked why nine years had passed since the alleged offences involving Bezzina, before the police started to look into them.  

"I have no doubt that our deputies could possibly be being targeted.  MPs have a right to defend themselves and the PN will be there, to continue to insist that institutions work without interference," he said.   

Asked if Bezzina would be asked to step aside, Grech said he would take the neccesary steps only if his MP faced criminal charges in court.  

It was worth recalling, Grech said, that Bezzina had won a libel case and in another case the court said the workers involved had worked after their working hours.