Labour leader Alfred Sant yesterday asked the Police Commissioner to investigate the Mistra case, which implicates PN candidate Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando in what the MLP terms a "corruption" scandal.
It emerged from the meeting between Dr Sant and Commissioner John Rizzo that the opposition's move had been pre-empted by the Prime Minister, who had already written to the police asking for an inquiry into the matter.
Following the meeting, Dr Sant, flanked by both his deputies and the party's general secretary, said he had presented the evidence released to the press in the past few days and some other details that had not been made public.
On Saturday, following days of rumours that Labour would be revealing something damning on Dr Pullicino Orlando prior to the election, Dr Sant gave a press conference at Mistra where he revealed that the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (Mepa) had issued an outline permit for an open air discotheque on a tract of ecologically sensitive land that lies outside the development zone. The land belongs to Dr Pullicino Orlando.
The authority had turned down an application for the development of a water reservoir on the site twice in 1999 - shortly after Dr Pullicino Orlando bought the land - on the grounds that the area was outside development and that it was a Natura 2000 candidate.
Yet, last November, despite a strong recommendation for refusal by the planning directorate, the authority's Development Control Commission - which recently resigned after being lambasted by the audit officer for issuing the Lidl supermarket permit in Safi - approved an outline development permit for an open air disco that covers the entire parcel of land.
Dr Pullicino Orlando defended himself saying he had rented out the land, that he was completely unaware of the application and he did not even know who the applicant was. He has sued Dr Sant for libel.
On Sunday, in an emotional address at a party activity, he said he had instructed the applicant to withdraw the proposal for the development.
On Monday evening, however, Dr Sant released a registered letter dated November 2007 sent by Mepa to Dr Pullicino Orlando in connection with the application, suggesting he must have known about it.
"The inexplicable way in which this permit was issued and the influential position Dr Pullicino Orlando has strongly suggest improper influence and/or corruption and criminal behaviour that led to the authority's policies being ignored," Dr Sant said yesterday, citing a list of articles that may have been breached from the Criminal Code and the Development Planning Act.
He even pointed out that, in his reaction to Labour's charges, Dr Pullicino Orlando cited a list of documents that were not made public.
"Prima facie, it appears that he (Dr Pullicino Orlando) had information about the process which to date does not appear to be public," Dr Sant said.
"This evidence requires a serious investigation of the process that led to this decision and to identify who is responsible for irregular and criminal behaviour."
Unlike other occasions since last Saturday, Dr Pullicino Orlando did not turn up for the press conference in Floriana. A day earlier Dr Sant had walked out of a Broadcasting Authority recording of a press conference after Dr Pullicino Orlando showed up instead of a Net news journalist, insisting he wanted to confront Dr Sant.
The Office of the Prime Minister issued a statement on Dr Sant's decision to take the matter to the police, saying it welcomed his "U-turn", referring to a comment by the Labour leader describing the Prime Minister's practice to relay such issues to the Commissioner as "a smokescreen".
Asked about this point, Dr Sant said he had taken the matter to Mr Rizzo because his party wanted to take all the steps available, "whether effective or not", to ensure the issue is dealt with conclusively in the interests of transparency and democracy.
Asked to comment on the fact that Dr Gonzi had pre-empted him, Dr Sant said he found "very curious" the fact that the Prime Minister had kept this step to himself.
"I think politically, there's something fishy," Dr Sant concluded.
Dr Gonzi announced on Monday that he had written to Mepa's audit office asking for an investigation but did not specifically mention, until yesterday, that he had communicated also with the police on this matter. The news was broken to Dr Sant by the Commissioner during their meeting.
At a press conference at the National Park in Ta' Qali, yesterday, Dr Gonzi insisted the investigative process had to be undertaken and concluded.
"If in this case or in any other it is concluded that there was any wrongdoing, I will immediately take the necessary measures. There is no place for anyone who abuses in my government. If anything is found, the person involved will be fired," he warned.
Referring to the incident of the postponed BA recording, he said: "If I were in his (Dr Sant's) place yesterday (Monday), I would have accepted to answer Dr Pullicino Orlando.
"If you throw mud you should have the courage to face it and not run away. Instead of accepting the challenge, Dr Sant objected to answering Dr Pullicino Orlando's questions. This shows Dr Sant is afraid."