Opposition MP Beppe Fenech Adami has accused Prime Minister Joseph Muscat of sowing the seeds for the murder of Ivorian migrant Lassana Cisse.

Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Dr Fenech Adami said the April 6 murder, alleged to have been racially-motivated, was the fruit of the Prime Minister’s past stance towards migration.

The two soldiers accused of committing the murder, he added, had probably cheered for Dr Muscat as he called for migrants' push-backs in 2013.

Dr Fenech Adami said it was a failing of Maltese society that there were some who found it easy to shoot and kill in such a way, pointing out that the accused were both members of the Armed Forces of Malta and also dedicated supporters of the Labour Party who had joined the army after Labour was elected.

The government had destroyed the army, he concluded, as even the army was accepting members into its ranks depending on their political colour.

Dr Fenech Adami was reacting to a ministerial statement by Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia, who said that he had been disappointed and saddened by the fact that those accused of the crime were members of the disciplined forces.

He did not go into specific details concerning the case, which was still sub judice, but expressed that the actions of two soldiers should not reflect badly on the Armed Forces - which saved many lives through peacekeeping and search-and-rescue operations - or on other disciplined forces.

The minister insisted - echoing the AFM's previous public statements - both soldiers had joined the army with a clean police conduct and criminal record and had declared that they had no pending cases before the court.

The AFM had been authorised to check applicants’ criminal records by a Labour government to give it better information about those who would be joining its ranks, he said.

Dr Farrugia said Opposition leader Adrian Delia had to bear responsibility for fanning the flames of intolerance during the recent European Parliament electoral campaign. Dr Delia had attributed rising criminality - even though criminality was declining - to an influx of foreigners, he said.

Dr Farrugia added that a board of inquiry had been appointed and was investigating the merits of the case as well as whether members of the Armed Forces had come across the promotion of intolerance by their peers or by groups within the disciplined forces.

Opposition MP Simon Busuttil said it seemed as though the minister did not intend to bear political responsibility even though he was responsible for the actions of his subordinates, questioning whether somebody else - such as the brigadier - would be bearing it instead.

Dr Busuttil also questioned whether assistance had been offered to two other migrants who had been injured in the April attack. Dr Farrugia said they had been offered all necessary medical treatment and that their status was being followed up.