Resources and Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino yesterday denied the involvement of a former environment ministry official in the allegations of influence and pressure made by George Micallef, a tourism consultant.
The matter involves news reports implicating Lawrence Vassallo, the MEPA complaints officer, formerly a member of George Pullicino’s secretariat.
The former environment minister said he denied that any official from his private secretariat had ever spoken or made any pressure on George Micallef, the former MTA consultant who on Monday issued a statement claiming he was pressured by Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pulllicino Orlando to give due attention to the Mistra disco application on the MP’s land.
“It is evident the Labour party is trying to take a political ride on every allegation that is made,” Pullicino said yesterday.
Micallef claims Pullicino Orlando and “a high MEPA/ministry official” made calls to him in respect of the MTA application for the Mistra Bay rehabilitation, but also to invite him to talks at the MEPA offices on the matter.
It later transpired that discussion also fell on the application concerning the disco at Mistra, to be developed on Pullicino Orlando’s land there.
Micallef also said that within a few days of the meeting, the ministry official called him requesting that the MTA write a detaild report substantiating its support for the application.
George Pullicino yesterday said he deplored the way Labour was “carrying on with its campaign to instrumentalise police investigations on the case.”
“These investigations were inititated on a report by the Prime Minister, who contrary to Labour did not speculate on the case but called for a proper investigation. Political responsibility demands that Labour leaves the authorities to carry out their investigations with the necessary serenity.”