Updated 4pm with PL reaction

Adrian Delia has said it is "surreal" that the Opposition did not have access to the Egrant inquiry, considering that a top official tasked with promoting the government's political message had a full copy.

The Opposition leader was reacting to head of communications at the Office of the Prime Minister Kurt Farrugia's testimony during constitutional proceedings concerning the inquiry.

The proceedings were filed by Dr Delia, who is challenging the Attorney General's decision to deny him a full copy of the Egrant inquiry.

Mr Farrugia said that he discussed the Egrant inquiry with nobody, not even with Keith Schembri, his boss, who is cited in the report.

"Mr Farrugia has all the tools that the Opposition leader does not have. He had no prohibition neither from the AG nor the Prime Minister," Dr Delia said outside Court on Monday.

"It is surreal that the government's political machine has information that the Opposition does not have. The growing political imbalance in this country with every passing day is surreal."

He added that the proceedings in court confirmed that those in government, paid by people's taxes to promote the governments' political message were using information that the Opposition did not even have access to.

In a statement, the Labour Party said it was Dr Delia's comments that were surreal, as he had himself accepted the published conclusions when he sought his predecessor Simon Busuttil's resignation from the party on that basis. 

It said the "political imbalance" had not been faced by the Opposition but by the Prime Minister, who had suffered as a result of "lies and smear campaigns".

Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina