Deceit is the trademark of a Labour government, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said yesterday during a pre-election speech in St Julian’s on the day the Nationalist Party released several contracts involving Enemalta that it said were previously hidden by the government.

The 11 contracts were sealed on the same day and transferred public land covering an area of 310,000 square metres – the equivalent of 45 football stadiums, Dr Busuttil said.

The contracts were mostly concluded on August 25, two days before the government published legal notices removing the obligation on Enemalta to go to Parliament if it transferred land to third parties.

“State aid cannot be done in this way,” Dr Busuttil said, stressing there was a reason behind the lack of transparency.

Rumour had it that Manuel Mallia would be made foreign minister despite being dismissed

He also referred to the “baptism of the soldiers of steel” in PL campaigns, questioning the criteria behind the title. He said the last soldier of steel the Prime Minister “had baptised” was Cyrus Engerer – a convicted criminal put on ambassadorial grade entitled to €85,000 package.

Referring to former home affairs minister Manuel Mallia, who this week called himself a soldier of steel, Dr Busuttil said: “Manuel Mallia baptised himself.”

Rumour had it Dr Mallia would be made foreign minister, he said, despite making a mess of the army and police and having been dismissed for deceiving the people.

He also referred to Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s visit tomorrow to launch the interconnector: “I hope the Prime Minister has the decency to tell him the PN did this,” Dr Busuttil said.