Robert Abela has wished his predecessor Joseph Muscat a happy birthday, amid frosty relations between the pair. 

Abela's birthday wishes to Muscat were greeted with considerable applause during a Labour political activity on Sunday. 

Tensions between Abela and Muscat spilt over this time last year, after police searched the former premier's house in connection with a corruption probe. 

 

Abela was forced to go into damage control as a result of the search last January, which had come a few days before Muscat's birthday. 

Muscat’s personal phone, as well as the phones of his wife and daughters, were confiscated by officers during the search as part of an ongoing inquiry into the Vitals Global Healthcare deal. 

Times of Malta had revealed how Muscat received suspected kickbacks from a Swiss firm linked to the main players in the deal. 

Muscat denies any wrongdoing.

The former prime minister retains considerable support among Labour's grassroots.