Nationalist Party Leader Simon Busuttil today claimed that the Prime Minister is using the media to try and suppress the Opposition.

Dr Busuttil was reacting to questions by journalists on claims by PM Joseph Muscat that a company he was affiliated with had been given direct orders worth €412,000. The PM first made the claim during Friday's Xarabank debate, but Dr Busuttil immediately denied the accusation and insisted that the company was not awarded direct orders but won tenders through a competitive process. 

The Prime Minister, however, spoke on the subject again on Sunday and accused the PN Leader of lying. Dr Busuttil insisted today that he had not lied. 

During a visit to the Inspire Foundation this morning Dr Busuttil accused the Prime Minister of still acting “like a Super One journalist.”

The PN Leader avoided giving a direct answer to journalists, insisting instead that the information has already been public for a number of years. “The PM always resorts to mud-slinging when he is cornered and this is what he did on Friday.”

He insisted that the media, especially those belonging to the government, should not follow the PM and use this repressive attitude. 

Busuttil wants to be 'untouchable' - PL

In a statement the PL said that Dr Busuttil wants to insult others but is not ready to be transparent on how much money he took from contracts under a PN government. Even an Opposition Leader has to be accountable.

In trying to defend a lie Simon Busuttil has come up with a new theory: that it is regressive in a democracy for a government to criticise the Opposition. The PL claimed that Dr Busuttil pocketed €420,000 from a small number of departments in one Ministry, with tens of thousands coming from direct orders.

Dr Busuttil is saying that the government is being scandalous in criticising the Opposition, but what is scandalous is the fact that Dr Busuttil wants to be untouchable.