I see nothing new that makes me change my judgment - Gonzi

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said he had seen nothing to merit changing the political judgment he made to exclude Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando from his Cabinet despite the MP saying he had been exonerated.

A day after the police announced there would be no criminal proceedings against Dr Pullicino Orlando over the controversial Mistra development, the dentist issued a lengthy statement and reiterated that he had "no direct or indirect involvement or participation in the ownership or operation of the then planned project".

But speaking to The Sunday Times yesterday, Dr Gonzi said: "I have made my political judgment on this case when I appointed the Cabinet. I see nothing new that makes me change my judgment. Correctness in public statements has to be maintained given that criminal proceedings will start in the courts."

Labour leader Joseph Muscat said the MLP now expected Dr Gonzi to make a formal declaration on the political implications of this case.

"It is only after this is done that the Labour Party will comment on the outcome of the police investigation. I promised a new style of doing politics and will not be lashing out merely on the basis of what I read in the newspapers. We will await Dr Gonzi's statement," Dr Muscat said.

The controversy over a proposal to turn a piece of land in Mistra - owned and leased by Dr Pullicino Orlando - into a nightclub had dominated the final days of the general election campaign.

Dr Pullicino Orlando said he was issuing his statement "to finally clarify a number of facts which, over the past three-and-a-half months, had been twisted beyond recognition and blown out of proportion".

He said the land he owned in Mistra was rented to third parties and he was aware of an application for a permit for an underground lavatory and an open-air dance floor with a platform less than two metres high.

He said that after former Labour leader Alfred Sant had mentioned the issue, he was shown copies of detailed plans. These showed that the project basically consisted of a paved area of about 750 square metres which would accommodate about 500 patrons.

He said there were no structures other than the platform with timber flooring and that a focused sound system was going to be used which was designed to totally eliminate the possibility of sound pollution.

Dr Pullicino Orlando said he had never said that he did not know the person to whom he was leasing his land but had always maintained that he did not know the person who had applied for the permit.

He said it was the leaseholder who had decided to get someone else to apply for a permit on his behalf - claiming he had done this so as not to attract the attention of a potential competitor.

The MP insisted that he had never said he knew nothing about the project but had always maintained that he did not know the precise details. However, he made no mention of the contract revealed by the Labour Party which showed he was due to receive substantial sums for the land.

Dr Pullicino Orlando admitted approaching Malta Environment and Planning Authority officials to discuss the application, but argued that it was normal practice for MPs to call the liaison officer at Mepa to check on the status of an application on behalf of their constituents.

He concluded his statement by thanking his family, friends and constituents and PN colleagues for their support and stated that he was fully aware of the political implications this case had had arising from his political role.

"I am of course fully aware that, apart from the legal dimension, there is also a public dimension arising from my political role," he said.