The Nationalist Party has called on Foreign Minister Carmelo Abela to assume his political responsibilities after The Sunday Times of Malta reported that government workers had carried out works at his home.

The minister was undermining Malta's reputation when he refused to assume his responsibility given the clear facts of a conflict of interest, the PN said.

Government workers were paid by taxpayers to give a public service and not to do private work. The minister should pay for works at hits own home, like other people did.  

The party noted that the minister had not been able to show that he paid the workers.

This case, it observed, happened when Mr Abela was the minister of home affairs in 2015 and when, therefore, he had a duty to ensure that no one would do what he had done.   

In other countries, such cases brought about resignations or dismissals. It was, for example, one reason why South African President Jacob Zuma was removed.

A similar case also led to the resignation of Irish deputy prime minister Frances Fitzgerald.

The minister, if he had a shred of decency, should assume his responsibilities and not embarrass Malta, the PN said. 

The minister, in a statement on Sunday did not deny that he used public employees to install a veranda at his house.

He said that "from what he could confirm" the installation had been done on a Saturday, "which is not a normal work day for this worker", and that he had not given instructions for the installation to be done during normal work hours.

Dr Abela described the veranda as a "small" and "temporary" structure and said he had paid "the amount requested", without providing any further details.