Minister Owen Bonnici and Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi have quickly forgotten the Christmas spirit and have embarked on a double-pronged war of words which continued to deepen yesterday.
On the one hand, comments made by Dr Bonnici on a deal about the Lowenbrau factory site at the time when Dr Azzopardi was minister responsible for lands led the Nationalist MP to file legal proceedings in court yesterday.
Minister Bonnici assured journalists attending a press conference that the affidavit by an unnamed person which is at the centre of this libel case, on claims that businessman Zaren Vassallo met with Dr Azzopardi and had been promised a compromise on the site, will be published in the coming weeks.
But a second issue was brought back to light in a press conference given by Dr Azzopardi, also yesterday, regarding the illegal use of sections of the General Workers’ Union’s headquarters in Valletta, a matter which sees Minister Bonnici right at the centre of a political controversy that has been brewing since an Auditor General report compiled last year.
Dr Bonnici was quick to reply, holding a press conference of his own, repeating his explanations on the Qormi factory deal to add more fuel to an already blazing fire.
For Dr Bonnici, the two cases differ greatly since the National Audit Office called on Dr Azzopardi to “bear a degree of responsibility for this gross misrepresentation of the value of the land” and goes directly against the Leader of the Opposition Simon Busutill’s mantra of ‘honest’ politics.
During his press conference, Dr Azzopardi refused to entertain questions from the media regarding the Lowenbrau site. "All questions about the case from A to Z can be asked in court, and I look forward to the truth coming out," he said. "I didn't just file for libel, but took the rare step of requesting that the case be heard urgently. I hope Dr Bonnici accepts my request.”
From Gaffarena to Lowenbrau, it appears, regardless of political affiliation, that the Lands Department is in need of serious reform, with the seemingly endless barrage of scandals hinting at an institutionalised problem within the department itself.