“I am shocked. Shocked at the extent to which people go to put pressure and corrupt an adjudication process. During the process of this adjudication, SIMED put a lot of pressure from all quarters. They used their embassy, their government and even international institutions. Now we find out that they had hired an unlicensed private investigator who had a previous record of tampering with facts to conduct an investigation. We also find out that they have used this to put political pressure on the Prime Minister. I do not know when they handed this concocted report to the Prime Minister, but the timing can prove very interesting.

“It was also shocking for me to realise that earlier this year I took part in a programme organised by Lou Bondi of Where’s Everybody who had this pseudo investigator as his consultant. I sat there with Mr Zahra’s client in what was supposed to be an objective impartial assessment. It may not be coincidental that in the last programme I had with Lou Bondi last June, this case was again brought up. Was this programme transmitted before or after the concocted report was given to the Prime Minister?

“Here I question the policy of PBS to give access to the national station to marketing and other consultants who may be using these facilities to manipulate public opinion in favour of their clients.

“I emphasise my condemnation of the way that political blackmail has become institutionalised in Malta. This came about through Alfred Sant’s practice of fomenting campaigns on insinuations and innuendoes, which are not based on an objective quest for truth but on pure self interest and political gain. One can see how the demonisation of individuals make the latter so open to abuse by unscrupulous operators.”