No Portfolio Minister Konrad Mizzi today defended the government's transferring of public land in St Julian's to the db Group by saying that Mario de Marco, the PN deputy leader, was in the same room in Castille, negotiating the contract in question.

Replying to questions by journalists over the controversial ITS site project, the minister said that the PN Deputy Leader was involved in all the legal elements of the contract.

“Let me remind you that the PN Deputy Leader has negotiated the contract with db Group, clause by clause. So the contract was negotiated by de Marco as well. He was involved in all the legal aspects, including clause 7 and 8 which deal with payment. He was there in Castille with us,” he added.

Asked to clarify if this project is cast in stone, the minister explained that the project permit still has to be considered according to its own merits by the competent authorities.

“For the first time, unlike what used to happen under the previous administration, the government chose to trust an independent audit firm to carry out the land valuation in question,” Konrad Mizzi said.

On the Panama Papers scandal, the Minister refused to explain how he intended to deposit a total of €1 million in the accounts over a period of one year. Instead he told the journalist asking the questions that he had lied about him. “You are not credible. Apologise for all the lies against me and then I can explain,” he told the journalist.