Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg has pledged that the government will take steps to recover money lost in the Fortina land deal after the National Audit Office (NAO) revealed parliament had been misled about the site’s true value.Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Borg said he would urgently convene parliament’s audit committee, which he chairs, to discuss the findings of the report. He also said the Auditor General would be asked to present the information and valuations that parliament had not been shown when it approved the concession in 2019.“We MPs are not there to protect those who hid the documents from the minister, the parliamentary secretary, and parliament. We are there to defend the people,” Borg said. “We should enter this discussion with an open mind and ensure that every cent owed to the people is paid.”The NAO report, published on Monday, found that Fortina Group, owned by the Zammit Tabona family, acquired a large tract of public land in Sliema for just over €8 million, despite a suppressed valuation putting the site’s value at €18 million. An independent NAO valuation concluded that the land was worth €21 million, suggesting a loss of nearly €13 million to the public purse.The report said former Lands Authority chairman and judge Lino Farrugia Sacco, who died in 2021, had “suppressed” the higher valuation, misleading the authority’s board, then-lands minister Borg, parliamentary secretary Chris Agius, and parliament. Evidence also suggests former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri was aware of the €18 million valuation and played a role in keeping it hidden.Borg insisted he and his then-parliamentary secretary could not have known about the suppressed valuation because a new law had placed land concessions at arm’s length from ministers. However, he argued that the new information meant parliament had a duty to revisit the deal.“The auditor is saying that parliament decided at a time when a document was missing from the picture,” Borg said. “Now that we have the full information, the committee should ensure that the fair price is paid, and every cent the government deserves is collected.”Fortina has denied insinuations of wrongdoing, while Schembri has categorically denied suppressing or concealing valuations.•