Opposition leader Simon Busuttil yesterday called on the Prime Minister to answer about his cousin’s involvement in an alleged visa scam at the Maltese consulate in Algeria.

The Malta Independent on Sunday revealed that the Prime Minister’s cousin, Robert Falzon, had been serving as Malta’s Consul in Algeria since March 2014 and throughout the entire span of the alleged Algerian visa scam.

“This is serious, we expect a reaction from the Prime Minister to see what his cousin’s involvement was in the whole matter,” Dr Busuttil said during an interview on Radio 101.

Dr Busuttil said it is well known in Algeria that it is easier to apply for a visa to Malta than other countries like France.

Some 7,000 visas have been approved in a year-and-a-half, Dr Busuttil said.

Every time such scandals surface, the government either chooses to remain silent or resorts to mudslinging about past practices, Dr Busuttil said, with the latest target being former Health Minister Joseph Muscat.

Admitting that Dr Cassar made an "error of judgement" by allowing businessman Joe Gaffarena to finance works on his property, Dr Busuttil said the government will not manage to silence to Opposition by using mudslinging tactics. 

“Our job as politicians is not to be silenced and scared. We will show there is an alternative way of doing politics. 7,000 visas in a year-and-a-half is a huge amount. The least one would expect is an inquiry given such strong suspicions of corruption.

“The involvement of the Prime Minister’s cousin throws a whole new light on the matter, it shows involvement from the very top.”

Dr Busuttil pointed out that the Lands Department, which falls under the Prime Minister’s control, has been involved in a litany of scandals, from Australia Hall, the Cafe Premier bailout to the Gaffarena expropriation.

People working for Identity Malta, an agency set up by the Prime Minister, have been charged with corruption, Dr Busuttil said.

Despite these corruption charges, the government is acting like nothing ever happened, and did not even ask for the resignation of Identity Malta’s chairman, Labour candidate Joe Vella Bonnici, the Opposition leader said.

Turning to the Auditor General’s report published this week on the use of the General Workers’ Union’s property, Dr Busuttil said the manner in which the GWU rented out a portion of its Valletta property to the government entity ARMS was irregular.

Such matters are of public interests because they involve taxpayers’ money and the way politicians act, he said. 

“We want to stop the illegalities rather than let the Prime Minister brush them off,” Dr Busuttil said.

He hit out at the government’s “incompetence” for losing €11 million in EU funding for the Coast Road.

“Even when it comes to EU funds there is sleaze in the way this government operates. They even embarrass us in Europe and tarnish Malta’s good name.”

Dr Busuttil said the time has come to draw a line and learn from the past mistakes perpetrated by successive PN governments.

“We are not just going to talk about honest politics but show that we can deliver. This is a challenge for the PN because we were a party in government for 25 years and made mistakes. We have to show we are capable of daring a line and learning from these mistakes.”

He called the government’s cancelation of the 2017 local council elections “another blow for democracy.”

“What is happening is wrong. The right to vote should never be taken away,” Dr Busuttil said.