Update 2 | Busuttil rebuffs Muscat: ‘stand up to be counted’

Prime Minister orders board of inquiry to investigate allegations of cover-up over Wednesday’s shooting incident • Simon Busuttil tells Muscat ‘to stop ‘shooting’ from the hip’

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil has told Prime Minister Joseph Muscat “to stop ‘shooting’ from the hip” after the latter offered the PN leader to appoint a retired judge to lead an inquiry into Wednesday’s shooting incident.

Replying on Twitter, Busuttil told Muscat: “stop shooting from the hip and stand up to be counted. It’s your mess, now deal with it. Be a Prime Minister for once.”

Muscat took to Twitter to announce his intention to ask Busuttil to choose a retired judge to lead an independent board of inquiry. “Decided to ask Opposition leader to appoint an ex-judge of his choice to lead a board of inquiry in this week's deplorable incident,” Muscat said.

The tweet follows another press conference by the Opposition during which it reiterated allegations of cover-up by the Home Affairs Ministry into the incident involving Mallia’s driver and police constable Paul Sheehan.

Busuttil has also accused Muscat of being “an accomplice for refusing to let go of Mallia”.

The board of inquiry will be made up of three former judges. At this stage, Busuttil has neither accepted the offer nor has he turned it down.

In an official statement, the Office of the Prime Minister said Muscat has ordered an independent inquiry, to investigate further the incident.

“The inquiry should establish whether there was any illicit involvement by Minister Manuel Mallia and/or any other officials, including allegations that the Minister intervened to cover-up the driver’s actions,” the statement said.

The board is to be made up of three retired judges. The Prime Minister, the OPM said, has decided to invite the PN leader to nominate a retired judge to lead the inquiry.

“This to ensure absolute transparency,” the OPM said.

The board will have 15 days from the date of their appointment to conclude their investigations.

“The Prime Minister took this decision because he believes that all facts should be known and investigated.”

According to the OPM, Mallia informed the PM that he wanted to submit himself to the scrutiny of the inquiry.

In an official statement, the Nationalist Party said the PM was once again abdicating from his responsibility and passing the buck onto the board of inquiry: “The Prime Minister is with his back against the wall and remains weak in the face of abuse of power. Instead of sacking Manuel Mallia immediately, Muscat is shrugging of his responsibility. Everyone knows that no judge can assume the political responsibility over Wednesday’s incident.”

The PN said that the Prime Minister holds the responsibility of removing a minister.