Two crucial reports which may shed light on whether Malta’s prison is “inhumane” or “luxurious” remain unpublished as the debate on prison conditions is rekindled.

Dutch prisoner Perry Toornstra last week promised to sue the government for keeping him in “horrendous” conditions for 11 years. In a letter, he claimed he was segregated without work, education or sport in a sickeningly humid division with no heating or cooling to soften extreme temperatures.

But the man in charge of prison scrutiny responded by arguing that Malta had “luxurious” prisons when compared with those of other countries. Prison board chairman Ivan Mifsud also said the board would not investigate Mr Toornstra’s claims because his letter was addressed to the Ministry, not the board.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice has adamantly refused to grant permission to The Times to visit the Corradino Correctional Facility to see whether Mr Toornstra’s claims are justified or not, claiming such a visit would breach prison regulations.

On the other hand, the Ministry committed itself to publishing two as yet undisclosed reports which may paint a clearer picture of life on the inside.

One of the reports was drawn up by the anti-torture committee of the Council of Europe, after a site inspection in May 2008.

A press release about the report says inspectors visited various sites including the prison in Corradino, the migrant detention centres, Mount Carmel, the Floriana police headquarters and two police stations, in Valletta and St Julians.

The site inspection was carried out a month before claims were made of police beatings of migrants in Paceville and three months before Mr Toornstra claimed to have been beaten by prison guards after an attempted escape.

However, the report can only be published when the government gives its consent, since such reports are drawn up primarily for government consumption.

When asked why it has not been published yet after almost three years, a spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said it would be made public “concurrently” with the launch of the Restorative Justice Act, “due this month”, which is expected to bring major reform to the sector.

Meanwhile, another report which has remained unpublished for almost two years is the one drawn up after an inquiry into maladministration at the prison, after a series of reports by The Sunday Times.

In August 2008, Mr Toornstra had tried to escape from prison after an hour’s prison leave which he spent with his family. After he was nabbed, he claims to have been beaten black and blue by prison guards – four of whom are in court over the matter.

The outspoken Dutchman then revealed to the media that he only got prison leave because he went through another prisoner, Leli l-Bully, who he claimed ran the show in prison – a claim which led to the resignation of prison director Sandro Gatt.

The inquiry, conducted by Emanuel Cassar, Mary Anne Agius and Martin Scicluna, was concluded in March 2009 and the Minister had said it would lead to disciplinary action and a number of arraignments.

Even though it has remained unpublished, a spokesman said the Ministry was still “intent on making the report public” but only once the police had concluded all their investigative work and the court procedures in connection with the report’s findings.