The Prime Minister should carry political responsibility for the “institutional corruption” at Identity Malta, the Nationalist Party said.

Addressing a press conference following revelations that the police arrested Identity Malta employees, home affairs shadow minister Beppe Fenech Adami said this was further proof that the country was being run as a fiefdom where institutional corruption was the order of the day.

Since Labour returned to power, corrupt practices “infested” departments directly linked to the Prime Minister, such as Identity Malta and the Land Department, he said.

Reiterating the PN’s call for an independent inquiry to establish how residency permits doubled under Joseph Muscat’s government, he also called for the immediate suspension of agency chairman Joe Vella Bonnici.

He said Mr Vella Bonnici, a Labour candidate in the last election, was personally chosen and appointed by Dr Muscat and should carry the responsibility for what was going on.

Mr Vella Bonnici, he said, was is running Identity Malta as part of his extended family, also employing three of his brothers.

PL'S REPLY

In a reply, the Labour Party said that rather than give assurance that there was no corruption under the Nationalist administration, Dr Fenech Adami attacked the government that was fighting corruption.

The Nationalist Opposition, the PL said, had not done anything to fight corruption when it was in government leaving bills shelved for 25 years.

Instead of taking action when faced with cases of corruption it only said it would help in whichever way it could.