Opposition leader Simon Busuttil insisted yesterday there was “no deal” between the Nationalist Party and Armier boathouse owners.

He was reacting to a report in the Times of Malta yesterday quoting boathouse owners who said they expected him to honour agreements made by his predecessors, including one on the eve of the 2008 general election.

Dr Busuttil said it was “useless” referring to deals struck several years ago because a lot had changed since. “I look at the last election, when I was involved, and there was no deal made then. Now I am leader and there is no deal,” he said.

The PN had struck deals with the boathouse owners before the 2003 and 2008 elections. In the run-up to the 2013 election, then prime minister Lawrence Gonzi had said he would respect the previous agreements.

Dr Busuttil raised eyebrows when last month he offered the government his party’s “complete and unconditional support” in tackling the illegal boathouse village in Armier.

Speaking during a conference organised by the Church Environment Commission, Dr Busuttil had also admitted that his own party was partly to blame for the continuous illegalities being committed by boathouse owners.

This newspaper yesterday reported Tarcisio Barbara, a spokesman for Armier Developments Limited, asking whether Dr Busuttil was backtracking on previous agreements.

According to Mr Barbara, one agreement was for the building of new beach rooms to replace old boathouses, giving existing owners the right of first refusal.

“We have documented agreements with previous PN administrations. Is Simon Busuttil backing out? We expect him to honour these agreements,” he said.

Pressed on the matter, Dr Busuttil said he was ready to meet and discuss the matter with all interested parties but he could not be expected to be bound by agreements made before he got involved in politics.

Dr Busuttil was speaking to the Times of Malta when he paid a courtesy visit to the office of the Ombudsman.

Ombudsman Joseph Said Pullicino said his office should not only be a defender of the people but a watchdog for good governance and transparency, sentiments shared by Dr Busuttil.