Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism Ian Borg declared on Tuesday morning that "every cent the government is owed from [the Fortina land]" concession must be collected.

This comment was made in relation to the NAO report, published on Monday, that revealed that Fortina Group paid millions less than what an audit firm had valued the land to cost.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that "we are there to defend the people," and not those "who hid this document from the Minister, the Parliamentary Secretary, the Cabinet, and all Members of Parliament."

Borg noted that he, as Lands Minister of the time, as well as the then Parliamentary Secretary for Lands and Construction Chris Agius, had been misled and had no role in what the Lands Authority did in this discounted deal.

Minister Borg added that as the Chairman of the National Audit Office Accounts Committee, he will be calling the Committee to convene with urgency to discuss this matter. He said that he will also be requesting the Auditor General to provide the relevant information in full, which he said Parliament does not have access to at the moment, despite being referenced during Monday's plenary.

"I think we should enter this discussion with an open mind and guarantee that every cent owed to the people must be ensured - not just in this case, but in every other case," Deputy Prime Minister Borg said.

Borg added that this Parliamentary Committee will see that "the just price is paid, and if not, discover what the right price is."

"If one sees justification that the amount paid was not the right amount - be it too much or too little - one must see that the right amount is paid in this regard," Borg continued.

The Deputy Prime Minister concluded that he hopes to see positive collaboration with the Opposition and the private company involved, Fortina Group.

"I hope that this process, in an open and honest manner, sees cooperation with the Opposition and the private sector - in this case, the company involved," Borg said.

While giving these comments, Borg noted that the land discussed in this matter was not public land, but it was owned by the private company and had a condition that it could not be used for tourism purposes.

Minister Borg said that according to the Auditor General, the Parliament had decided on this land without knowing all the information due to a missing document, concealed without its knowledge, and thus, the Parliament was not in the position to take the best decision on this matter.