The Prime Minister would have won the best actor award for sending the police nine months late to secure files at the Government Property Division related to the Gaffarena case, the PN said today.
The party spokesman on planning, Ryan Callus, said the search conducted last week by the police should have happened last year when the first allegations on the Gaffarena scandal appeared in the media in May.
He accused the Prime Minister of 'covering up for the corruption' that took place at the property department.
"The government dragged its feet and whoever wanted to hide his tracks had ample time to do so," Mr Callus said.
He was addressing the media outside the offices of the Government Property Division at Auberge de Baviere in Valletta alongside PN candidate Mark Anthony Sammut.
Mr Callus insisted the National Audit Office found ample examples of documents and minutes that seemed to have been touched up.
With reference to the Prime Minister's decision to suspend government property transfers, Mr Sammut said people were now paying the price for corruption.
He said department workers were being treated like criminals when those who should have felt so were welcomed with applause.
Asked whether former parliamentary secretary Michael Falzon should have also resigned from Parliament, Mr Sammut said: "Not only should he have left parliament but the Prime Minister who was responsible for the property division should have resigned as well."
When asked whether Opposition shadow minister Jason Azzopardi should also resign pending the NAO's conclusion of other investigations, Mr Callus insisted this was not necessary and simply a diversionary tactic of the government.
"Jason Azzopardi had no executive role today unlike Michael Falzon had," Mr Callus said.
He added the PN had trust in the Attorney General but still believed the court case filed by the Prime Minister to recoup the Gaffarena millions and land was inconceivable.
"I hope the case is won but it is another demonstration of how the people end up paying for corruption," he said.
The press conference was characterized by an animated exchange between the PN spokesmen and One journalist Janice Bartolo.
At one point Mr Sammut went personal and told her to "go home and ask the Justice Minister" whether it made sense for Joseph Muscat to file a court case against himself.