The government’s decision to install smart meters in the illegal Armier boathouses was tantamount to regularising the seizure of public land, Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil said this evening.

Dr Busuttil was being interviewed by journalist James Debono at the Floriana Granaries, as part of the PN’s activities to mark Independence Day, and he was asked to comment on the boathouses.

The PN leader signalled that he favoured a stronger stand than the present government and even previous PN governments, although he did not commit himself to any specific course of action.

Dr Busuttil stressed that people had illegally seized and developed public land; although at one point, he argued that those who did so before 1992 had some rights. But he condemned the decision to give boathouse owners smart meters, stating that this gave the message that breaking the law was tolerated.

But he said that he was not surprised as the government similarly disregarded the law, citing its decision to drop its claim on the Pembroke properties – including Australia Hall – which were leased to the Labour Party and its continued use of illegal billboards.

Dr Busuttil subsequently lambasted Justice Minister Owen Bonnici for refusing to step down, even temporarily, as he faced criminal proceedings over a traffic accident he was involved in.

He pointed out that the minister will be appearing in front of a magistrate who depends on the minister’s recommendation to be appointed as a judge, stating that the pressure the magistrate would face was obvious.

Later in the interview, the PN drew parallels between Dr Bonnici’s case and that faced by PN secretary-general and former minister Chris Said, who resigned from cabinet when he was charged with perjury, and reappointed when he was acquitted. In comments to The Malta Independent earlier this week, Dr Said had similarly insisted that Dr Bonnici should follow his lead.

The PN leader observed that people appeared to expect higher standards from the Nationalist Party than from Labour, appealing to the public to hold both parties to a high standard.