The Land Commissioner stepped down last month as he felt he could “no longer work serenely” due to an acute lack of resources and communication, according to his resignation letter.

Joe Bugeja requested principal permanent secretary Mario Cutajar to accept his resignation and assign him other duties as the bad situation in his department was also having a negative effect on his health.

His letter was made public in Parliament on Monday following a request by Nationalist Party MP Ryan Callus.

Dr Bugeja, a top civil servant who resigned after 10 years at the Land Department, said he was quitting against his wishes.

The bad situation in his department was also having a negative effect on his health

Although the government did not comment on his resignation when Times of Malta made the news public, on Monday Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that Dr Bugeja had never informed the principal permanent secretary about the difficulties he claimed to be encountering before he resigned.

Asked whether the Prime Minister was looking into Dr Bugeja’s claims, a spokesman yesterday failed to reply by the time of going to print.

Mr Callus said the publication of the letter showed it was a forced resignation.

“In citing lack of communication as one of the acute problems he faced, it is clear Dr Bugeja ended up being a victim of the kind of dirty politics being employed by the Labour government,” he said.

Mr Callus said it was scandalous that despite being Land Commissioner, the government sidelined Dr Bugeja when it came to important decisions, such as those on the Australia Hall and the €4.2 million deal to take back Cafe Premier in Valletta.

The department had made headlines recently over these two major decisions.

The first involved a government intervention so that the department would drop a court case against the Labour Party over Australia Hall and land in Pembroke.

The second decision involved a deal with the owners of Cafe Premier so that the government could take back the premises in the capital.

The department passed on €4.2 million to the cafe’s owners, including compensation for unpaid rent owed to the department and the settlement of unpaid utility bills.