The Nationalist Party has taken aim at Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo over recent claims.

Prime Minister Robert Abela has been reported as saying that no action would be taken against Clayton Bartolo after it was reported that Bartolo's girlfriend Amanda Muscat was transferred to the Ministry of Gozo, a job she allegedly never turned up for. LovinMalta reports that Abela said that Muscat was employed with the government prior to her relationship. However, it reports that Abela did confirm that Muscat was transferred to the Gozo Ministry, but said she no longer works there or with the government. 

When Prime Minister Robert Abela wants to buy time, he says that he is waiting for the conclusions of an inquiry by the Standards Commissioner, the PN said in a statement on Thursday.

"When he wants to kill a story, he pretends that there is no such thing as an investigation," the statement read. The PN made reference to Robert Abela's statement that the case on Clayton Bartolo is closed, "yet the Commissioner for Standards has just been asked to investigate the case," the PN said.

The PN said that instead of "further intimidating" the institutions, the Prime Minister needs to be honest and answer the following questions: "Had Amanda Muscat started working in the Ministry of Tourism after starting her relationship with Minister Clayton Bartolo? When was Amanda Muscat transferred to the Ministry for Gozo's payroll, and why? How much is Amanda Muscat paid, and how has her pay changed over the years? Is Amanda Muscat working for the Gozo Ministry, or is she still reporting to the Ministry of Tourism? Is it true that she is on secondment from the Central Bank and has been given three jobs in three years? What qualifications make her worthy of being a policy consultant in both the Ministry of Tourism and Gozo?"

It added that the case is not closed and that both the Minister of Tourism and the Minister of Gozo may be implicit.