The fact that a robbery took place in what is supposed to be the most secure location in Malta indicates a serious security issue in our country, one that the Prime Minister either fails to understand or deliberately ignores, the Nationalist Party said Wednesday.

How can 226kg of drugs be stolen from a high-security facility without anyone shouldering political responsibility, the PN said, again calling for the resignation of Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri.

At a press conference held this morning outside Parliament, in front of dozens of packages representing the equivalent of 226kg of drugs, the PN stated that the mere fact this robbery took place should not only alarm the public but should also raise red flags for the Government.

Yet, in the face of yet another failure - this time concerning national security - Robert Abela and his colleagues insist on carrying on as if nothing has happened, the PN said.

The Nationalist Party stated that while it is positive that the police have already made some arrests and recovered 85kg out of the stolen 226kg of cannabis, 141kg of drugs remain on the loose, and hence, these developments provide little to no reassurance.

MPs Albert Buttigieg and Graziella Attard Previ said that similarly, the Cabinet's show of confidence in Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri and the Prime Minister's decision to reject his offered resignation provide no reassurance in recent events.

They also commented that even Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà has failed to reassure the Maltese and Gozitan people since this drug heist took place "in one of the most secure locations in the country, without anyone noticing."

Buttigieg said that following all his shortcomings and this weekend's drug heist, the Nationalist Party cannot follow this latest scandal as "business as usual," and thus appealed on behalf of his party for Byron Camilleri to resign from his position as Minister for Home Affairs.

After recalling that Minister Camilleri offered his resignation this past weekend following the drug theft, and that this resignation was rejected by the Prime Minister, Attard Previ stated that this decision was taken by PM Abela due to the reasoning that "if one minister falls, they all will."

In this regard, she appealed that despite this, Camilleri must resign in order to demonstrate political accountability for what happened.

Attard Previ described the aftermath of Camilleri's rejected resignation and the message that Prime Minister Robert Abela is sending to the electorate through this latest episode. She remarked that with PM Abela refusing the Minister for Home Affairs' resignation, the country's leader has virtually told everyone that these Cabinet members can do "whatever they like" without ever being accountable over any malpractices occurring within their respective entities.

She also criticised PM Abela's actions in Parliament yesterday, during Tuesday's plenary session, when he rejected the PN's motion to conduct an urgent debate into the drug heist, as well as a motion of no confidence against Minister Camilleri. Parliament was suspended five times during Monday's plenary, as pandemonium took over and insults were hurled from both sides of the Chamber.

Both Buttigieg and Attard Previ condemned how Prime Minister Abela acted this week, after he "insisted on speaking alone in Parliament and stubbornly refused to allow a proper debate on this case between both sides of the House."

"This is a government of criminals, surrounded by criminals, and controlled by criminals. If Abela refuses to remove Camilleri, he is only confirming this fact," she said.

Attard Previ also labelled the Prime Minister as "insensitive." She said that following Abela's refusal to accept Camilleri's offered resignation on Sunday, the Prime Minister is choosing to protect his fellow Minister for the Interior, rather than accept his sacking after "many failures" within his remit have been observed.

She observed that Abela lacks the sympathy to comprehend the anguish of a parent watching their child's life deteriorate before them as a result of drug abuse. Attard Previ also noted that through his recent actions, the Prime Minister "did not think twice" to discard the efforts of the several NGOs who support drug victims in their roads to recovery.