Simon Busuttil has turned down an invitation to nominate a person of trust to head an inquiry into a shooting incident involving the Home Affairs Minister’s driver.

The Opposition leader yesterday wrote to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat insisting he should do his job and remove Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia rather than dump the responsibility on to an inquiry board.

[Muscat] would have shown how weak [he was] before the abuse of power

He accused the Prime Minister of procrastinating rather than taking the “logical and inevitable” decision to remove Dr Mallia.

Dr Muscat reacted by saying Dr Busuttil was acting like prosecutor, judge and jury: he decided his allegations were true and handed down a conviction.

The Prime Minister said he would bear his responsibility and appoint an independent inquiry to look into Dr Busuttil’s allegations.

He had taken the decision to set up an inquiry board three days after the incident, inviting Dr Busuttil to nominate a former judge to head the investigation. Speaking yesterday morning on radio, he accused the Opposition of not being interested in the truth but of being simply intent on scoring political points.

Dr Busuttil rejected that argument, insisting an inquiry board was “useless” because it could never perform the Prime Minister’s job to ensure that his minister shouldered political responsibility.

“If [Dr Mallia is not removed] you would have shown how weak you are before the abuse of power and that you have become an accomplice to it,” Dr Busuttil said.

The Opposition leader said Dr Muscat’s mere admission that his minister should be investigated made it clearer that Dr Mallia’s position was no longer tenable.

The incident happened last week when Dr Mallia’s driver, Paul Sheehan, a police officer, fired shots that hit the car of British national Steve Smith in Gżira.

The shooting, initially described in an official government release as warning shots fired in the air, followed an altercation after Mr Smith allegedly crashed into the minister’s parked car.

Eye witnesses said they saw Mr Sheehan waving a gun as he argued with Mr Smith, who was asking him to put the weapon away.

It is believed that Mr Sheehan discharged three bullets into Mr Smith’s car after the Briton drove away from the scene out of fear.

The information that was officially disseminated on the night of the incident was only corrected the morning after.

In what appears to be police interference with the scene of the crime, they moved Mr Smith’s car on to a truck before the arrival of the inquiring magistrate, leading to accusations of an attempted cover-up.

Dr Busuttil yesterday reiterated the accusation, insisting it was “evident” there were manoeuvres to hide the truth.

It was unacceptable for a minister’s driver to shoot at a car with somebody inside, with no one then shouldering responsibility for the act.

“It is shocking that four days after the incident the minister’s driver is still running free as if nothing happened and has not yet been taken to court.”

Mr Sheehan was suspended from the police force pending the outcome of the magisterial inquiry (unrelated to the inquiry board the Prime Minister wants to set up to investigate the allegations of a cover-up).

The incident, which the Prime Minister admitted had angered and disgusted him, has caused widespread concern as pressure mounts for Dr Mallia’s resignation.

Dr Busuttil is expected to speak about the incident when he delivers the Opposition’s official reaction to the Budget in Parliament tonight.

‘Scotsman’s car’ for sale on Maltapark

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The political controversy surrounding Wednesday evening’s incident took a light-hearted twist over the weekend when the car involved was put up ‘for sale’ on Maltapark.

The spoof posting asked for €3,000 for the silver Opel Insignia “with minor damages” to the roof, indicator lamp and bumper. These are precisely the points that have bullet holes from the shooting that followed a crash into the minister’s car.

The advert said there was also some damage to the front after an “impact with a ministerial car”. It was available for viewing at the police station.

The advert, uploaded by user Bertugolu, was seen by almost 3,000 people before it was removed.