After eight weeks of searches in the Lands Department, all the Labour Party could come up with is an email in which some politicians were copied to defend itself against the growing scandal involving the transfer of property to Mark Gaffarena, the Nationalist Party said in a statement.

But, in its desperate attempt to deflect attention from the €3.5 million Labour gave to Gaffarena, the Labour Party has failed miserably because the politicians mentioned by Labour were simply copied in an email in a process that is legitimate and legal.

The PN was replying to a statement issued by the Labour Party after the PL said that a piece of land in Mtahleb was re-valued at €400,000 when it should have cost €40,000. This was established in an email in which former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and former minister Jason Azzopardi were mentioned.

In the light of this lie, the PN said, PM Muscat should publish the whole file in question and not simply try to confuse minds.

This is completely different from the Gaffarena scandal, the PN said, sonce parliamentary secretary Michael Falzon had gone on holiday with the businessman, met him at Castille to find out what he wanted, sent him to the Lands Department with an OPM official Clint Scerri and signed two deals that made Gaffarena rich overnight.

Apart from this, Muscat’s government issued the permit for the illegal petrol station at Qormi operated by Gaffarena’s father, boarded out a business partner of the Gaffarena family in four days and gave the latter a €60,000 contract, and also gave three executive positions to the Gaffarena family business partner.