PN leader Bernard Grech has challenged Prime Minister Robert Abela to publish his tax returns, after the latter said that he had spoken to the Tax Commissioner to report Grech’s tax issues.

On Monday evening, Abela was  asked by journalists on Monday about a story published in the Sunday Times of Malta which stated that police were waiting for the green light from the Prime Minister to unlock the phone of Tax Commissioner Marvin Gaerty, a phone which is reportedly a “pandora’s box of sensitive information”, which reportedly includes an exchange between Abela and Gaerty on opposition leader Bernard Grech’s tax situation.

In a statement on Monday evening the police denied that they required any form of authorisation from the Prime Minister for their investigations.

Replying to the questions, Abela said that he had received information "from within the Nationalist Party" that Grech had not paid his taxes "for years" and had simply done his duty in passing the information onto the tax chief, adding that he had not discussed the matter with Gaerty.

In reaction, Grech said on social media that Abela had “confirmed that he had used his position to try and influence the election for PN leader.”

“This is clear abuse of power”, he said.

Grech said that since Abela had decided to delve into matters related to him personally, he was challenging the Prime Minister to publish his own tax and VAT returns and declare whether he had ever discussed them with the Tax Commissioner “in order to assure the Maltese and Gozitan people that he had declared everything and paid everything that he owes.”