UPDATED 5.20 with PN statement
The Labour Party has requested the planning watchdog to probe Nationalist deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami over claims that the swimming pool at his Għargħur house, was "astronomically bigger" than the maximum dimensions permitted by law.
The request was made in the third news conference in as many days addressed by Economy Minister Chris Cardona and Ian Castaldi Paris.
Dr Cardona quoted a reply given yesterday by a planning authority spokesman who said that the maximum footprint of a swimming pool in an area outside development zone (as was the case with Dr Fenech Adami) was of 75 square metres, including the deck area.
The Economy Minister said the PN deputy leader had blatantly breached such limits, claiming that his pool size was about 700 square metres, or "one and a half times the size of the square in front of the new parliament building in Valletta".
Dr Cardona accused the PN deputy leader of "institutionalised hypocrisy" saying that the author of such breach a few weeks ago had spearheaded a protest against the ODZ development at Żonqor.
"This is the first test for PN leader Simon Busuttil to prove himself following his remarks in Dissett that the would show the exit door if he had a sniff that a PN MP was involved in corruption," the Economy Minister said.
Asked for his reaction to a blog posted by Daphne Caruana Galizia, which claimed that in 1998 (under a Labour government) now Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had been granted a full development permit to demolish a building and build his present house in Burmarrad, Dr Cardona said there had been nothing irregular.
"This is just a blast from the past," he said.
He added that the planning procedure back then had been correctly followed, "in the same manner as applications are being presently handled by the planning authority".
Investigate Panama, stop lying - PN
The Nationalist Party said the only investigation which should be carried out concerns the secret companies in Panama and the alleged bribery of the Prime Minister's chief of staff.
"For the third day running, Joseph Muscat and Keith Schembri - through their spokesman Chris Cardona are persisting in their lies about Dr Fenech Adami, lies which have been denied and which triggered off libel proceedings," the PN said in a statement.
Dr Fenech Adami insisted that the pool permit was given according to policies in place 18 years ago, and it was a lie that the pool was bigger than 50 square metres. These "lies" are in addition to other lies repeated in the past days, the PN said.
"No intimidation by Joseph Muscat and Keith Schembri will stop the PN from uncovering the corrupt means of the most corrupt government in Malta."