Updated | Prime Minister says British MP presented himself during Calleja summer concert

A five-month investigation by British newspaper The Telegraph followed Conservative MP Mark Pritchard down to Malta, where he is believed to have held meetings with senior ministers and even the prime minister.

The Maltese prime minister, Joseph Muscat, has denied meeting Pritchard officially: during a visit to a childcare centre earlier today at 12pm, he said Pritchard had presented himself to him during the Joseph Calleja concert back in the summer, but that he had not met him at the OPM. Pritchard is understood to have met another senior minister, in his official role as chair of the Malta APPG in the House of Commons.

The Telegraph claims backbencher Pritchard, who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group for Malta in the UK House of Representatives, uses his political connections to act as an "international fixer" and build up "an impressive network of contacts".

The newspaper's sting discovered how the "jet-setting" 46-year-old MP was lured into speaking to undercover reporters, even during his time in Malta, where he spoke of investment opportunities to build hotels around the world.

The paper claims Pritchard was set to profit from a prospective investment in Albania, another country he 'represents' in the Commons in one of the all-party parliamentary groups.

The Telegraph began investigating Pritchard in July over allegations that his business and political interests were overlapping, with an undercover reporter posing as a representative of an Indian private equity company looking to expand his business in Europe. The reporter approached Pritchard in Malta in late July when he was on an official parliamentary trip to the country's new government.

In Malta, Pritchard is said to have had meetings with the parliamentary speaker, and the prime minister.

In an undercover video, the Telegraph reporter asked about investment opportunities in the country. "Well, I've got to be careful what I say here, because obviously I know everybody there," Pritchard replied.

"We'd need to have another discussion about that ... There are some, there are some opportunities but ... I think they're slightly confused about what they want. 'Cause the other day they said, 'We need infrastructure investment'."

Asked if he was referring to the government, the MP replied: "Yeah. So I said, 'Do you need some shopping malls? Do you need shopping malls?' No. 'Do you need new roads?' No. There's a very big land reclamation thing going on out there at the moment so to basically reclaim land, a bit like in Hong Kong."

But it seems that although Malta is mulling a land reclamation project that is currently welcoming only expressions of interest, Pritchard said there were "better places to make money more quickly" and asked the 'investor' to stay away from Malta.

He later offered his professional services at an annual fee of £3,000.00 per month, plus expenses.

Pritchard, who also sits on the all-party group for Albania, did tell the undercover reporter that he did not lobby. No money changed hands.

Pritchard said the Telegraph's allegations were false and denied the newspaper's claims, and he was consulting his lawyers. He also said: "I have asked the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to investigate the matter so I can clear my name."