Resources and Infrastructure Minister Ninu Zammit accused Labour leader Alfred Sant yesterday of a strategy of deception and fact-twisting in the Labour Party’s treatment of the government’s expropriation of a piece of land which Mr Zammit owned.

Dr Sant, Mr Zammit said, should verify the process and mechanism of how expropriation compensation is awarded under the Land Acquisition (Purposes) Ordinance.

The government, he said, had expropriated for public purposes a tract of land he owned that was 187 square metres in area. The entire process was made in an official and transparent manner under the ordinance.

Since 1993, over 6,000 people had benefited from it, and since 1997, Lm36 million had been paid on 1,632 contracts, irrespective of who the land owner was.

In a statement issued yesterday evening, the Malta Labour Party said that it is clear that two Nationalist Party members of Parliament have contradicted each other with their statements.

Referring to Justice Minister Tonio Borg, the MLP statement said that Dr Borg clearly stated that the law that allowed for the compensation to be put on “fast track” affected only land expropriated after the law was actually brought into force, i.e. 2002.

However, the MLP said, Dr Ninu Zammit himself said in a statement issued three days ago that the government had expropriated his land in 1989.

Therefore, the MLP said, it is clear that Minister Zammit’s request for compensation should never have been placed on “fast track”.

According to the whistle-blower who informed the opposition about this case, the whole truth is not being said even about the way the valuation for compensation was carried out.

The MLP said that if Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi wants to regain credibility, he should not allow the principles enjoyed by a “clean and transparent government” to be broken by his ministers, and he should not refrain from taking the required action.