Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is taking Helena Dalli’s word that illegal works on a property she owns were carried out by the person who is buying the house.

Dr Muscat was addressing a press conference about the budget, which he said, aimed to tackle benefit abuse, when he was asked by Times of Malta about Dr Dalli’s property and the court’s referral of Labour MP Luciano Busuttil to the Commission for the Administration of Justice.

In a sarcastic tone, Dr Muscat said he enjoyed questions like this because it showed there was little to criticise in the budget.

“Helena Dalli has explained that the place is covered by a promise of sale agreement and the works were not done by her but the person who is buying the property,” he said.

When it was pointed out that the place was still under her name since the sale contract had not been signed, Dr Muscat said that the property was owned by a company.

The property is part of the assets of Pada Ltd, a company owned by Dr Dalli and her husband Patrick.

Dr Muscat said it did not result to him that works on the site were being done by Pada Ltd.

Asked whether this was acceptable behaviour by a minister, Dr Muscat insisted “things could always be done better”.

With reference to Dr Busuttil’s case, the Prime Minister said he would leave it to the commission to carry out its investigation.

“I will not enter into the merits of the case…  Dr Busuttil has said he was not advising the winning bidder at the time,” he said.

The Appeals Court last week annulled a waste contract awarded by the Cospicua council and ordered that Dr Busuttil be investigated for “serious allegations” that he had advised the council to disqualify a bidder to favour his client.