The Nationalist Party has declined to say why it had failed to include part of the exchange between the police commissioner and the Prime Minister’s communications chief in transcripts it published related to the shooting incident involving Manuel Mallia’s driver.

On Friday and again in its Sunday newspaper, the PN published a transcript of a conversation that took place between Acting Police Commissioner Ray Zammit and the Prime Minister’s communications chief, Kurt Farrugia, which it said proved that Mr Farrugia was aware that shots had been fired at another man’s car rather than in the air as had been stated by the government in a statement on the night of the incident.

However, it omitted a line – which was uploaded by Times of Malta yesterday in audio format – in which the Acting Police Commissioner can be heard telling Mr Farrugia that “warning shots” were fired.

On Saturday PN leader Simon Busuttil held a press conference during which he called on Mr Farrugia to stand down and also questioned whether Joseph Muscat was also immediately aware that the shots had hit a car.

The government has at its disposal full recordings and not just transcripts and it is thus the government’s duty to leave no shadow of doubt about what happened

The government yesterday accused the PN of manipulating the conversation and omitting crucial parts in order to implicate the Office of the Prime Minister in a cover-up, while Muscat accused the party of “political dishonesty”.

When asked whether it would publish all conversations and transcripts in its possession, a spokesman for the PN said: “It is the government which has at its disposal full audio recordings and not just transcripts and it is thus the government’s duty, towards all its citizens, to leave no shadow of doubt about what happened that evening.”

He said that Dr Muscat was banking on two single words – “warning shots” – which the Acting Police Commissioner “reiterated” when confirming to Mr Farrugia that Mr Sheehan had shot twice at the victim.

“The recording is clear – there were two shots, and the two shots were directed at the victim, not in the air. It is also clear that the commissioner’s use of the term ‘warning shots’ was not referring to shots in the air, but to the two shots that Sheehan released at the victim,” the PN said.

Branding the recording a “government leak”, the PN said this piece of evidence had confirmed Mr Farrugia was also “in the loop” and knew what was going on.

The spokesman reiterated the PN’s call for the Prime Minister to publish his log calls and messages on the night of the incident.

Speaking on the party’s radio station, Dr Busuttil was asked if any doubts had crept in over Mr Farrugia’s involvement following the evidence that emerged yesterday. He replied that it actually “confirmed” the PN’s version.

“Why did the government decide to publish only this part of the conversation?” he asked, accusing the government of defending itself at the cost of the truth.

“I fail to understand how the media has not pounced on the government and asked for the entire recording,” he added.

“The remark that ‘shots were fired in the air’ was Mr Farrugia’s fabrication as it featured nowhere in this conversation. If the Prime Minister’s head of communication was aware of this [that the shots were not fired in the air], then Dr Muscat knew as well.

“After discarding the Acting Commissioner and the Home Affairs Minister, the government is only focusing on how to protect Kurt Farrugia and hence the Prime Minister himself,” said Dr Busuttil.

Dr Busuttil also lashed out at the government for sourcing its statement directly from one of the involved parties, which in this case was the minister’s driver.

He also argued that the OPM’s spokesman should have never got involved as the information should have been given by the police. “Instead he made a fine big mess.”

Why did Mr Farrugia in his statement describe the incident as a “hit and run”, where no such mention was made in the conversation?

Shots on tape

A new recording has emerged in which Paul Sheehan is heard calling the police for help and firing two shots. It was broadcast late last night by Net TV.

Mr Sheehan is heard phoning police HQ on emergency number 112 and calling for urgent assistance from the Rapid Intervention Unit.

He says he is calling from a location near the national swimming pool car park, after a man crashed his car into the minister's vehicle and drove off.

'He came to attack me and I brandished the weapon at him,” he tells the operator.

After being told to go and report the case to the nearest police station and identify the other car involved in the incident, the minister's driver replies that he is not in a position to do so.

'The minister is with me,' he adds. A few seconds later the agitated driver warns that the man is going to escape

'He will drive away, he escaped!'

Immediately after that, two loud bangs are heard.

'I shot at him, he escaped!”

The driver is then heard complaining to the police operator that he has been forced to shoot as no assistance arrived, adding he was chasing the man on the Regional Road. “Send me [reinforcements] as I will keep firing at him.”

He then tells the operator the other vehicle is a silver Opel.

The recording emerged hours after a PN spokesman had told this newspaper that the party had published all evidence it had on the case.

Last night the spokesman insisted the party had come across this new piece of evidence later and decided to broadcast it immediately.