Works on an illegal private room in Għajnsielem belonging to a canvasser of Gozo Minister Anton Refalo were done using public funds, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said.

Speaking in Siġġiewi this evening as part of the local council elections campaign, Dr Busuttil urged the police to widen the investigation into the “works for votes” scam to the present.

He accused Prime Minister Joseph Muscat of being brazen-faced when criticising him for not taking action against former Gozo minister Giovanna Debono.

Dr Busuttil said an illegal room at Xatt l-Aħmar belonging to Dr Refalo’s prime canvasser had works done on it that were financed by the Gozo Ministry.

“You have to have cheek to accuse others of wrongdoing while missing the log in your eye,” a charged Dr Busuttil said.

He insisted that he would wait for the police to conclude their investigation before taking any action against Ms Debono but accused Dr Refalo of using public funds to finance works on private property over the past two years.

Dr Busuttil said works were carried out by the Gozo Ministry on private drive-ins at Kercem, fields in Għasri and Xagħra.

“It is wrong to have private jobs financed through public funds and if this was happening it was wrong. If Joseph Muscat wants me to take action against Giovanna Debono what more should he do to take action against Anton Refalo?”

He used the example to highlight what he described as Dr Muscat’s hypocritical way of doing politics.

Dr Busuttil accused the government of undermining public trust in politics by making people dependent for favours on ministers.

“This creates a negative impression of politics,” he said, adding Dr Muscat’s electoral battle cry Tagħna Lkoll proved to be “a lie”.

The words accountability, transparency and meritocracy had become one big joke, he insisted.

Dr Busuttil ended the speech by calling on all Nationalists to go out and vote in Saturday’s local elections, a plea reiterated earlier by deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami.

In an impassioned crescendo, Dr Fenech Adami also reached out to disgruntled Nationalists who deserted the party two years ago: “Our doors are open and if you do not come to us we will continue to run after you, I will come after you to hear your pain, your concerns because this is not my party... this is your party.”