(Adds PL's reply)
Opposition leader Simon Busuttil this morning challenged the government to publish all the recordings of conversations which took place on the night of the shooting incident in which the Home Affairs Minister’s driver shot at a car which hit the ministerial car.
The government that evening issued a statement saying that warning shots in the air were fired.
Times of Malta this morning uploaded the audio recording of a three-way phone call after the shooting incident involving Dr Mallia's driver. The recording shows that Acting Police Commissioner Ray Zammit told the Prime Minister's communications chief, Kurt Farrugia, that "warning shots" had been fired.
This was not included in a series of transcripts published by the PN media on Friday. And neither is it included today in segments of the same conversation published by the party’s newspaper il-Mument.
It is not clear why the PN has omitted to publish this crucial part of the exchange.
Dr Busuttil has insisted that Mr Farrugia knew Dr Mallia’s driver fired shots at the other car and has called for his resignation while demanding the Prime Minister shoulder political responsibility.
This morning, Dr Busuttil was asked by Times of Malta to publish the audio of the telephone conversations released on Friday but he has so far declined.
Speaking on Radio 101 lter, Dr Busuttil echoed a statement issued by the Nationalist Party earlier and said that Dr Muscat was with his back to the wall and had no other option but to publish all communications of the night.
While the media could only publish what they had, the government had everything and by only giving the media a selective part of the recording, it showed the stage of desperation the Prime Minister was in, he said.
Dr Busuttil said it was now clear that this was the Prime Minister's attempt at saving Mr Farrugia, with whom he was close, and pass the blame on the minister and the acting Commissioner.
"What we have is a government in a state of panic and desperation trying to tell us what we want to hear," Dr Busuttil said.
He said he was disgusted at the Prime Minister's political dishonesty to allow all this to take place.
"The people deserve a Prime Minister who can be believed but what we have is a Prime Minister intent on protecting himself."
Dr Busuttil again insisted on the need for political responsibility to be shouldered. and said that should this not be done, Dr Muscat would be confirming he was personally involved in the cover up, the PN said.
He said that the recording confirmed that the acting Commissioner, the minister and the Mr Farrugia knew all about what had happened.
Dr Busuttil said that in the recording the minister’s driver was asked “how many times did you shoot in his direction”. These were then described as warning shots by the commissioner.
He said it was an insult to the people’s intelligence to try to put a spin on these words because it could not be clearer that Mr Farrugia knew the correct version of events - that the driver shot twice at the car.
Moreover, the minister was in the acting Commissioner’s presence and this left no doubt about the involvement of these three people.
It was clear that Mr Farrugia had been in direct contact with PC Sheehan to issue an official government statement that was full of lies.
It was his responsibility to check facts and it was a lack of responsibility and professionalism not to verify facts with people on site in such a serious incident.
Instead he opted to be in communication with the man who committed such a serious crime and this should lead to his resignation.
Dr Busuttil said that the statement should have been issued by the police and not by the Office of the Prime Minister.
"Why did Mr Farrugia get involved? He made one fine big mess which the Prime Minister now has to clean up."
The acting Commissioner, Dr Busuttil said, was at no point heard telling Mr Farrugia that this had been a hit and run accident and that the shots were fired in the air.
"Had I been the Prime Minister, I would have asked Farrugia what had he been told exactly... If the Prime Minister has nothing to hide, he should publish the call logs between the time of the incident and the publication of the statement, together with the SMSs and the recordings."
The recording, Dr Busuttil said, also confirmed the authenticity of the transcripts issued by its media, which also showed that the Commissioner ordered Superintendent Alexandra Mamo to preserve the site and hold an inquiry when she told him that the car had been hit.
The Home Affairs Minister was also heard speaking in the recordings.
Dr Busuttil again challenged the government to publish the call logs and SMSs passed on that night, besides the recordings.
OPPOSITION LEADER HYSTERICAL TO JUSTIFY HIMSELF - PL
The Labour Party said the Opposition leader was caught out in his manipulation and dishonesty and was now hysterical in a bid to justify himself.
He published transcripts which clearly showed he had all the information but chose to be selective and remove what did not suit him. For this, he should shoulder responsibility.
If he did not have all the recordings but reached conclusions based on what he had, he was an amateur leader who reached conclusions based on half truths, the PL said.
It said that rather than address the media face to face as he had been doing daily for the past 15 days, today he opted to speak on the radio and attacked everyone - from the media to individuals.