The government has rejected a call by the Nationalist Party to publish the testimony given before an inquiry into alleged ministerial intervention in a Gozo drugs case which saw a person change his police statement.

The call was made earlier today by justice shadow minister Jason Azzopardi.

The government said  that what the Opposition was seeking went against practice in administrative and judicial inquiries and the Attorney General had advised against publication. 

It pointed out that evidence was given behind closed doors so as not to prejudice future case hearings and also not to prejudice third parties.  

The government also said it was the one that started publishing inquiry reports, and it would not take lessons from the PN. 

The inquiry had found that there was no political interference, but the PN has slammed the report and called it a farce and a whitewash.

Dr Azzopardi told a press conference that key people who could have shed light on what had not taken place were not even called to give evidence.  

Among those who were not questioned were the alleged drug trafficker and his father, who reportedly met the ministers, a lawyer who accompanied one of those involved at Victoria police station, the police inspectors and other policemen present for the meetings, and shadow minister Chris Said.

The inquiry had also not sought footage from the Gozo Ministry's CCTV cameras and other nearby cameras.  

PL REACTS

In a reaction, the Labour Party said it would be better for the Pn to publish the 'false invoices' it sent related to donations by the DB group.

It said the government was published all inquiry reports and major contracts. The former PN government used to shelve inquiry reports and ignore them while riding roughshod over the institutions.