“Pressure from above” has made the Police Commissioner’s position untenable, high ranking police sources told this newspaper, saying his health may not be the only reason he is considering resigning.

Police Commissioner Michael Cassar has been under pressure from “certain members of the government”, following the revelations of secretive Panama companies linked to trusts in New Zealand involving Energy and Health Konrad Mizzi and the Prime Minister’s chief of staff Keith Schembri.

“He feels the way he’s been treated is very unfair. He can’t do his job and then he’s criticised by the public for not doing it,” according to one source.

The Police Commissioner would not comment yesterday and Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela denied Mr Cassar was about to step down because of political pressure.

The minister was speaking during an activity held by the Żejtun local council – his constituency. Replying to questions regarding reports of the possibility of Mr Cassar’s resignation, he said: “The only issue is a health one…if his health permits him to continue in his role, then there is no problem.

“Mr Cassar has always insisted his situation was related to health and there are no other reasons,” the minister added.

While it is true the Police Commissioner’s health has suffered lately, having spent two days in hospital undergoing tests following a trip abroad, police sources said he had been considering his resignation weeks earlier.

It coincides with the revelations of the Panama Papers. As the information of the Panama companies held by Dr Mizzi and Mr Schembri unfolded, the police never launched an investigation, even when the police in Panama were raiding Mossack Fonseca’s headquarters in the country.

The Panama Papers consist of over 11 million confidential documents detailing information about more than 214,000 offshore companies compiled by the service provider Mossack Fonseca. The documents illustrate how wealthy individuals, including public officials, hid assets from public scrutiny.

Despite repeated calls by Opposition leader Simon Busuttil for the police to launch investigations, the police reacted weeks later saying only there was “no reasonable suspicion that a crime was committed”.

The Home Affairs Minister denied there was any pressure on the police to stop the launch of an investigation. “I stress that pressure [on the police] to investigate or not investigate does not happen. It is not my place to exert such pressure.”

Yet sources told The Sunday Times of Malta that the pressure did not come from him but other members of government.

Mr Cassar was appointed police chief in December 2014, the fourth since the Labour Party was elected three years ago.