Updated 6.30pm - Added PL statement
The Nationalist Party has taken the General Workers Union to court for sub-leasing sections of its headquarters in Valletta in breach of a contract with the government, which owns the site.
Shadow Minister Jason Azzopardi and MP Ryan Callus said the PN's parliamentary group was doing what the government should have done after the Auditor General confirmed the irregularities by the union.
They explained that the site of the Workers' Memorial Building in Valletta was government-owned, and in terms of a contract with the government's Property Division, no sub-lease could be made other than to entities in which the union had a majority stake.
In April 2014, the GWU assigned part of the property to ARMS Ltd by way of lease for a period of five years at a rent of €61,950 and an additional €3,000 annually for the first four years by way of rent of movables inside the leased premises. Another part of the property was leased to Sciacca Grill Ltd - a restaurant which used to be owned by the prime minister's chief of staff, Keith Schembri.
The Auditor-General subsequently found that the union had breached its contract in doing so and had recommended court action against the GWU, but no action was taken by the government.
Since the Labour government seems to be closing its eyes to illegality, it is the duty of the opposition to safeguard public property.- Jason Azzopardi
"Since the Labour government seems to be closing its eyes to illegality, it is the duty of the opposition to safeguard public property," Dr Azzopardi said.
"It is clear that the government does to want to act. The PN does not subscribe to the law of the jungle and is acting on behalf of the people".
In its court application, the PN called upon the courts to declare the GWU's position as "abusive and illegal" since it violated the terms of the original emphyteutical concession approved by Parliament.
They also asked the court not only to declare the lease agreements as being null and void but also to order the property originally enjoyed by the GWU to revert back to the State.
Reacting to a story on Times of Malta that rebuked judge Lino Farrugia Sacco and a Labour candidate were chosen by the government to lead the new Lands Authority, Mr Callus said that this showed that the government was only interested in keeping absolute power.
"It seems that it was not enough for the government to allow the erring judge to escape impeachment. Now they want to give him another thank you," he said.
'Azzopardi cannot be taken seriously' - PL
In a statement, the Labour Party said that Jason Azzopardi was trying to divert attention from his involvement in a land transfer deal for the former Lowenbrau brewery site in Qormi.
It argued that the GWU site in question was still being used as the union's headquarters and that only a "small part" of the building was being sublet, and contrasted this to the former Lowenbrau site, "which is now a commercial empire of supermarkets and shops".