Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi this afternoon accused Labour leader Joseph Muscat of reaching the lowest levels involving members of his family.

“This hurts and is disgusting,” Dr Gonzi said with reference to Dr Muscat’s statement that if Joe Cordina was guilty of corruption, as the Finance Minister was implying, the Prime Minister's son, who played a similar role in the corruption-hit Italian firm Maugeri foundation, was also guilty using the same yardstick, he said.

Dr Gonzi dodged questions on whether he could guarantee that no members of his cabinet had ever received a gift from rogue oil trader George Farrugia.

He said that Finance Minister Tonio Fenech this morning went to the police commissioner to give a statement about the whole issue. He also filed a criminal complaint in court against Labour MPs Evarist Bartolo and Chris Cardona.

Dr Gonzi was speaking at the end of a visit to the Malta Freeport where he saw that work was underway on the development of a new quay for the Freeport to accommodate larger ships, which are not yet on the market

An investment of €145 million had been undertaken at the Freeport over the past few years and another €31 million were to be invested this year.

Dr Gonzi praised the 1,400 workers at the Freeport for achieving high levels of productivity which enabled the Freeport to compete.

He was told that while competitors, like Gioia Tauro, reduced their workforce during the 2009 financial crisis, the Malta Freeport increased both its workers and its investment.

Prior to the tour, workers welcomed the Prime Minister in the canteen, where he chatted them for about 15 minutes

In an obvious reference to Mcast students, one worker told him he would not be jeered at the Freeport, only cheered.