Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo was in no mood to reply to questions about his interrogation by police over the presence of a historical artefact inside his home on Monday.

Refalo was asked a range of questions by journalists after it emerged last week that he had been questioned by police over the presence of a British-era stone marker in the garden of his Qala home.

However, Refalo simply referred journalists to two statements – which were nearly identical – which his Ministry released on 18 February, when news of the artefact being in his garden first emerged.

Refalo was asked what explanation he gave to the police when he was interrogated, whether he was interrogated under caution, whether he thinks it is proper for a minister to be interrogated by police, whether he had been charged, and whether he will resign from his post.

Each time, Refalo referred to his past statements and said he had nothing more to add to them.  Neither of his previous statements answer any of the above questions.

The Times of Malta reported last week that Refalo has been interrogated by police inspectors at the Criminal Investigations Department over the presence of a British-era stone marker in his garden.

The marker – which is inscribed with the letters VR (standing for Victoria Regina) – was first seen to be in the Minister’s garden back in February after a family member uploaded a post to social media which showed it in the background.

Refalo is described as a “known art collector” in his ministerial biography, and served as the chairman for state heritage entity Heritage Malta after he was relieved of his place in Cabinet during the Muscat administration.

Possession of national heritage can be prosecuted under the Cultural Heritage Act, with offenders liable to a fine of between €2,000 and €250,000, or to an imprisonment sentence of up to six years.