Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat criticised a report by the National Audit Office into the Fortina Tigne land deal as being in “very bad taste”, since the main decision maker – former Lands Authority chairman Lino Farrugia Sacco – has since passed away.“I am more than sure that had Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco still been alive, he would have replied very solidly to many assumptions and loaded statements in the report,” Muscat said.“While the author of the NAO report states there is a serious limitation in scope, he goes on to totally ignore it, with the reader barely realising that the main decision maker died and was not able to give his account of events.”Muscat insisted he had no direct involvement in the deal, under which Fortina paid around €8 million to remove a clause in their original lease that restricted development on the prime site to touristic purposes.The NAO said that the late Farrugia Sacco had concealed a report which valued the land at some €21 million, more than double the price Fortina ended up paying to drop the clause.“Had the NAO thought I had any direct involvement in the deal, I am sure they would have said so,” Muscat said.“Also, had they wanted to make a remark about me, I am very positive they would have not said ‘officials within Government’.”“Having said that, I find the NAO report to be lacking in method where it even goes against calculations made by the NAO itself in previous reports and which are now being contradicted.”“Furthermore, it even contradicts the current legislation governing valuations which was not challenged, and thus accepted, by the entire Parliament.”“I look forward to someone coming up with the valuation according to the current Legal Notice and comparing it to the valuation under scrutiny.”“That is a necessary exercise that since the NAO failed to do should be embarked upon by Government or the media.”Cover photo: Joseph Muscat•