The results of an investigation into the Gaffarena Old Mint Street scandal carried out by the Internal Audit and Investigation Department have been handed over to the Auditor General, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said  this evening.

Speak on Disssett in an interview with Reno Bugeja, Dr Muscat confirmed that the investigation has been concluded. The investigation reports will be made public once the National Audit Office concludes its own investigation, Dr Muscat said.

Dr Muscat also reaffirmed that he would seek to have the deal revoked in the case of proven wrongdoing.

He added that the original Gaffarena investigations had led to other suspect cases, and that all reports would be published in due course.

Last June Dr Muscat had told this newsroom that "I will get to the bottom of it [the Gaffarena allegations] and I will obviously reverse the deal if I find it to have been dishonest."

In the meantime, the authorities were also seeking to uncover whole "big picture" of the highly suspect wheeling and dealings of Mark Gaffarena and his immediate family members over the last two decades.

Although neither Dr Muscat nor his office would comment further on the investigations at the time, other sources close to the government were more forthcoming.

Our sources in June had informed us that "the government is looking into each and every case of possible expropriations of land over the years that appear to have been shady. Following that exercise, the government will be asking for further investigations to be undertaken."

Sources close to the government speaking on condition of anonymity had confirmed that the government has launched a wide-ranging exercise, which has started off with a review of each and every development application filed by Mr Gaffarena and his family at the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.

Investigations at Mepa have so far uncovered no less than a whopping 77 development applications since the 1990s, many of which appear to be dubious in nature, that were filed by either Mr Gaffarena or members of his family.

By last June, it had transpired that there were no less than 53 applications filed at Mepa under his name (Mark/Marco/M. Gaffarena) over the past 20 years, between 1995 and 2015. An additional 24 applications were also filed by family members in the same time frame.