The Labour Party was ready to offer an amnesty to whistleblowers that exposed corrupt politicians, Labour leader Joseph Muscat said yesterday.

"We are ready to grant an amnesty to those who reveal corruption among politicians," he said during a political meeting at the Phoenicia Hotel in Floriana.

The Labour Party's priority was to catch the "sharks" and not the small fry who, for example, accepted a €5 tip to help someone skip the queue, Dr Muscat said. He was referring to a recent court judgment where a clerk at the vehicle licensing department was handed down a suspended sentence for allowing an applicant for a driving licence to jump the queue after receiving a small "tip".

Corruption was similar to a tax that everyone had to pay and the Labour Party would protect those who unmasked those stealing from the people, he said. "It was impossible that in all these years not one politician had been found guilty of corruption."

Turning to the controversial tender for the extension of the Delimara power station, Dr Muscat said the government should make Danish company BWSC pay a fine for not declaring that its subcontractors were involved in corruption.

In his first speech since he returned from a 10-day visit to Australia, Dr Muscat, who was elected Labour leader two years ago, reiterated recent calls made by his party for the resignation of Education Minister Dolores Cristina over the suspension of EU funds for education programmes.

An inquiry report revealed that Mrs Cristina attended a meeting with senior officials of her ministry last November where the matter was discussed, he said. "She is not credible. She can't say she doesn't know anything. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi should remove her portfolio if she would not resign."

He had harsh words for Dr Gonzi and criticised him for allowing a cost overrun of almost Lm11 million (€25.6 million) on Mater Dei Hospital, even though, in 2007, he had promised it would not cost more than Lm136 million.

Another example of lack of planning was the new cancer hospital, which would cost about €40 million and would be built adjacent to Mater Dei Hospital instead of replacing Zammit Clapp Hospital.

In a statement, the Health Ministry said Mater Dei Hospital cost Lm144 million, which increased to Lm147.6 million because, among other things, there was a change in international standards and additional government requirements, mainly as a result of developments in the medical sector since the original contract was signed.

While social services were decreasing in other countries because of the recession, the opposite was happening in Malta where these remained free and were of a very high standard, the ministry said.

The Education Ministry denied that Mrs Cristina was ever informed that there was a danger that the EU funds could be suspended, adding that Dr Muscat's call for her resignation was a political game not based on fact.

The inquiry report made it clear that the suspension of funds never reached political level and the minister was, therefore, never informed, the ministry insisted.

The meeting mentioned by Dr Muscat, attended by Mrs Cristina, was called by the Cabinet Secretary to discuss recommendations by the Internal Audit and Investigations Department. It emerged that those recommendations were already implemented, the ministry said.