The Nationalist Party has called on the Prime Minister to publish his declaration of assets for 2021 as well as those of his ministers and parliamentary secretaries.

The PN said the prime minister and his ministers had an obligation to present these documents to Parliament but they had still not done so.

Like his predecessor Joseph Muscat, Abela was promoting a culture of impunity by keeping information which should keep him, his ministers and his parliamentary secretaries under public scrutiny and accountable for their behaviour.

The declarations of assets, the PN said, served to uncover abuse of power and wealth that cannot be explained and were tools against graft and other forms of corruption such as nepotism, conflicts of interest and the acquisition of undue advantages.

This, the party said was the latest that the declarations were being presented. In another unprecedented situation, Muscat had failed to present to Parliament the declarations for 2016.

Since 2003, the PN said, assets were presented on the following dates:

Those for 2013 were presented on July 7, 2014;

Those for 2014 were presented on June 24, 2015;

Those for 2015 were presented on April 27, 2016;

Those for 2016 - the year the Panama Papers scandal was exposed - were not presented;

Those for 2017 were presented on October 1, 2018;

Those for 2018 were presented on June 19, 2019;

Those for 2019 were presented on October 12, 2020; and

Those for 2020 were presented on June 16, 2021.

The PN said the declaration of assets for 2016 should also be published.