The Nationalist Party warned this afternoon that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Parliamentary Secretary Michael Falzon were mistaken if they thought they could shift the blame for the Gaffarena scandal on somebody else.

The party was commenting following the resignation of Ray Camilleri, Director-General of the Government Property Division.

It was the second major resignation from the department within a year following the resignation of Joe Bugeja, Commissioner of Lands, in the wake of the Cafe’ Premier scandal.

The PN said Dr Bugeja was the first sacrificial lamb when the person actually responsible for the Cafe’ Premier scandal was Dr Muscat, who had met one of the Cafe’ Premier owners, negotiated the price and given the go ahead for the government re-acquisition of the property.

Now, the PN said, it appeared that Mr Camilleri would be the sacrificial lamb in the Gaffarena scandal, where Dr Falzon was personally involved.

It was Dr Falzon who had met Mr Gaffarena and discussed the deals, it was he who assigned an official from his secretariat to help assist Mr Gaffarena and it was he who signed the controversial deals.

The two scandals involved Dr Muscat and Dr Falzon personally and they would be mistaken if, after defending each other for three months, they thought they could shift the blame on somebody else, the PN said.

“The buck stops with the Prime Minister,” it added.