Candidates for the Nationalist Party have called for the resignation of Minister Carmelo Abela after the Standards Commissioner declared that he had breached parliamentary ethics.

The report found that Abela had used just over €7,000 in public funds in order to fund advertising which was intended on boosting his own political profile rather than provide any information of value to the public.

This was reiterated and pointed out by PN candidate Justin Schembri, while fellow candidate Jerome Caruana Cilia said that the Prime Minister had adopted double standards with his MPs – saying that Abela had said that he would take action against Rosianne Cutajar after the Standards Commissioner concludes an investigation into allegations concerning her, but he has yet to take action against Carmelo Abela.

He also said that the money spent by Abela as part of the advertising campaign should be returned.

Fellow candidate Graziella Attard Previ said that the report was yet another scandal involving the government, noting that the country and the people deserve better.

The Office of the Prime Minister told The Malta Independent earlier in the day that it was leaving it in the hands of the Standards Commissioner to determine whether the funds should be reimbursed.

Taking questions after the press conference, the candidates side-stepped questions on whether they felt that Nationalist MP Toni Bezzina – who was interrogated by police over the alleged use of public officials for works at a PN club in 2012 earlier this week – should step aside.

They instead noted that the PN had showcased its standards in accountability, with the resignation of Karol Aquilina from a spokesperson role and from the parliamentary group secretary cited as an example.