The government said in a statement on Tuesday that it strongly condemned the Labour Party, which was trying, through its statements and media, to influence the police investigation into the Mistra land case.

It seemed that again the Labour Party was trying to interfere with an independent investigation for political aims or ulterior motives, the government said, referring to an MLP statement issued earlier in the day.

It added that the Prime Minister had already said he would not be commenting while the investigation was ongoing. The government went on to appeal to the Labour Party and its media “to act responsibly and stop trying to influence the ongoing investigation”.

Resources and Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino, who was Environment Minister responsible for the Malta Environment and Planning Authority until the election, also referred to the MLP’s statement, to deny that any official from his private secretariat had ever spoken or tried to influence George Micallef, a former tourism consultant who had claimed he was pressured.

Mr Pullicino deplored the way in which the Labour Party was carrying on with its campaign of trying “to instrumentalise” the police investigations which, he said, had been started at the request of the Prime Minister.

Furthermore, Mr Pullicino said political responsibility demanded that the Labour Party should allow the authorities to carry out their investigations “with serenity”.

The planning process was regulated by an “autonomous authority”, Mr Pullicino added.

The MEPA auditor’s office had been set up by him to create more transparency and accountability in the process but it appeared that the MLP was nostalgic about the times when the minister could dictate which development should or should not be allowed.