Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, known to many as JPO, has again become the talk of the town. He has been called upon to resign by some, while others have renewed their support towards him, following the publication of an audit report regarding the planning application for the construction of an open-air nightclub on land he owns in Mistra.

Dr Pullicino Orlando yesterday told The Malta Independent however, that he would wait for police investigations to be concluded before giving his reaction and comments on the audit report, which Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi published late on Monday afternoon.

Dr Gonzi had requested the audit on 3 March, five days before the general election and two days after former Labour leader Alfred Sant alleged that JPO had used his position to influence the board members of the Mepa’s Development Control Commission (DCC) that had been handling the Mistra development application.

Dr Sant also took the case to Police Commissioner John Rizzo, asking him to investigate, and, speaking to journalists outside the police headquarters, had said Dr Gonzi had also asked the police commissioner to investigate the process leading to the way the outline development application had been granted.

The audit report, which was drawn up by Mepa audit officer Joe Falzon, lambasted the DCC Division A board for approving the Mistra outdoor disco application, saying it was solely responsible for what had happened and that the application should be declared null and void.

Following the publication of the audit, Mepa chairman Andrew Calleja said Mepa will revoke the permit, in line with the audit officer’s advice.

He also agreed to Mr Falzon’s proposal to amend the Development Planning Act for the withdrawal or modification of an approved permit, should it be found to have been granted against the authority’s official policies.

Reacting to the audit report in a statement yesterday, Alternattiva Demokratika (AD) spokesman for sustainable development, Carmel Cacopardo, a former investigating officer at Mepa’s audit office, said Dr Pullicino Orlando, who put pressure on the DCC board, should resign.

“It is positive and encouraging that the prime minister immediately published the report and enforced the audit officer’s recommendations. Had Dr Gonzi’s predecessor politically responsible for Mepa (George Pullicino) acted in the same way in the recent past, Mepa would be in a much better situation,” he said.

Mr Cacopardo added: “However, the audit officer did not have the last word in this case. Police investigations also have to be concluded and the Malta Tourism Authority’s (MTA) role also has to be clarified.

“It must be highlighted that the MTA employs experts from the field of planning, and I cannot understand how you can possibly fail to give due environmental consideration to projects you support.”

The DCC board that granted the outline development permit for Mistra resigned quite a while ago now, said Mr Cacopardo, adding it is now also time for the resignation of the person who put pressure on the DCC board to issue the illegal permit.

“Dr Pullicino Orlando has no choice but to tender his resignation as MP. He was aware of the fact and involved in the matter, but he put the public off track,” said the AD spokesman.

In another statement, Zminijietna – Voice of the Left, also called for Dr Pullicino Orlando’s resignation, to allow for another PN candidate to replace him.

Meanwhile, the MLP said the Mepa audit officer’s report regarding the Mistra development application confirmed that the party was right to make public the details of this scandal during the electoral campaign.

The MLP said the report confirms the party’s claim that the scandal directly involved one of the Nationalist’s main MPs.

The report also confirms that the MLP’s claim was based on facts and was not a mudslinging campaign, as Prime Minister Gonzi and the PN had alleged, said the party’s statement.

The Labour Party said it was now expected the PN to explain why it had defended Dr Pullicino Orlando and given him its full support until just two weeks ago.

Dr Pullicino Orlando was elected in both the seventh and eleventh districts, and obtained a total of 5,125 first preference votes.

The prime minister’s announcement that he would implement the Mepa audit officer’s recommendations was simply an act of political hypocrisy and opportunism, said the MLP.

It added that the PN desperately needed Dr Pullicino Orlando’s votes and chose to defend him till the end, even though the party knew that he was involved in a scandal.

Dr Gonzi’s u-turn confirms that the MLP was right in all it said regarding the Mistra nightclub development application, said the MLP statement, adding that it is now an established fact that, had it not been for the MLP’s timely and responsible intervention, one of the country’s most beautiful valleys would have been destroyed once and for all.

In a counter-statement, the Nationalist Party said that the way the two major political parties tackled the Mistra case showed the difference that existed between the two.

After getting to know about the matter, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi referred the case to the competent authorities.

On the other hand, the MLP leader kept this information to himself, tried to build expectations by saying he would have revealed a story, and then spoke about the matter during party activities.

It was only after the PN leader called for an investigation that the MLP had done likewise, the PN said.

Asked to comment, Dr Pullicino Orlando said he has been closely following the recent developments, notably the publication of the MEPA Auditor’s Report.

“While the Mepa audit report has been concluded, the police commissioner’s investigations are still ongoing,” said Dr Pullicino Orlando.

As a result, he said he did not want to make any public declaration that could, in any way, be seen or interpreted as an attempt to influence, digress or hamper these investigations.

He confirmed however, that he wrote to the police commissioner and the Mepa auditor on 12 March, referring to the investigations being carried out at the request of the prime minister.

In his letters, he confirmed his full disposition to cooperate fully and unrestrictedly in these investigations.

“With regard to the Commissioner of Police, I was requested to attend the Police Headquarters on 16 March. I replied in detail, and at length, to all the questions put to me by the investigating officers.

“With regard to Mepa, the reply I was given was that the investigations of the audit officer are limited to verifying that Mepa follows the procedures laid down by law and nothing else, and that it was not his role to investigate third parties.”

Earlier this month, Dr Pullicino Orlando publicly said he had nothing to do with the development, and that the land was rented out to third parties. He had also said he had never even met the person who submitted the application for the Mistra development.