By his own admission a couple of days ago that recipients of gifts should be investigated for corruption, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech should also be investigated, PL spokesman Evarist Bartolo said this morning.

Addressing a news conference, Mr Bartolo asked whose interest was it to say the truth and to lie and pointed out that Mr Fenech had a good track record of accepting gifts.

He was referring to the minister’s denial yesterday of having received gifts from Mr Farrugia.

Both Mr Bartolo and Dr Cardona reiterated that Mr Farrugia had told police that he went to Mr Fenech's house with a gift - a wall clock worth some €5,000 - when the minister became responsible for Enemalta.

“Who should we believe,” they asked noting that the presidental pardon was conditional on him saying the truth.

Spokesman Chris Cardona noted that the minister did not attend the cabinet meeting during which a decision was taken to give rogue oil trader George Farrugia the pardon. The minister, who was never asked for a statement by the police, had a duty to be present for that meeting, he said.

Dr Cardona also said that Labour did not have the information that former PL candidate Joe Cordina was involved in the company that served as a front for Mr Farrugia's company.

He reiterated that the Labour Party only got to know about Mr Cordina’s involvement yesterday evening and said that Mr Cordina resigned not because he did anything wrong but because he was implicated by Mr Fenech. He also resigned from the directorship of a number of PL companies.

"We are waiting for Tonio Fenech's detailed reaction and expect him to do what is political right," the MPs said.

Asked whether Toni Abela should also shoulder political responsibility on the Safi club drugs case given that the police have reopened the investigation by asking the president to give a statement, Dr Cardona said the police had closed the case In Dr Abela's regard.