Parliamentary Secretary Ian Borg was forced to perform a U-turn and halt all works on his controversial Rabat property, after he had earlier vowed to carry on in the face of a damning Ombudsman report and a corruption probe.

His decision was announced yesterday morning following a comment by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who said that if he were in the same position he would have halted works pending the investigation by the Commission Against Corruption.

“Ian Borg has to take decision he needs to take, but if I were him I would have stopped works pending the outcome of the probe,” the Prime Minister said.

Grilled by journalists during the inauguration of a retirement complex in Naxxar, Dr Muscat said he would be taking a decision on Dr Borg’s future as soon as he learns the findings of the investigation. “I don’t imagine it will be long before it is concluded,” Dr Muscat said. Less than an hour later, Dr Borg uploaded a post on his Facebook account announcing the temporary halt of construction works at his countryside property in Santa Katerina, limits of Rabat.

Quoting a planning authority statement saying his development permit was “legitimate and correct”, Dr Borg nevertheless announced that works had been suspended as from Thursday evening.

His decision marked a complete departure from his declaration a day earlier when he had insisted he would carry on with the works.

In a damning report published by timesofmalta.com in its entirety yesterday, the Commissioner for the Environment and Planning within the Office of the Ombudsman said that Dr Borg’s permit for the construction of two dwellings had been issued following a “grave error” by the planning authority and called for it to be reviewed.

The Commissioner pointed out that a similar application incorporating part of Dr Borg’s plot in the past had been refused as it went against the rules of Mepa.

However, changes inserted by Mepa officials in the application report, which altered the classification of the plot, had removed a very strong reason for refusing the proposal, the Commissioner said.

He also noted that a deliberate attempt had been made to remove the one and remaining obstacle potentially blocking approval of the application.

From the report it also transpired that Dr Borg had tried to conceal his involvement as it was not filed directly by him but by a certain Renald Azzopardi.

Meanwhile, Mepa yesterday reiterated there was no wrongdoing on its part in the processing of this development application.

In another development, the Nationalist Party reiterated its call for Dr Borg to step down pending the outcome of the corruption probe, saying the Prime Minister lacked the courage to do what was right and suspend him.

Government consultant Robert Musumeci, an architect, argues that Dr Borg’s plot qualified for redevelopment according to local plan policies.