I wonder how, I wonder why

Last Sunday, a rather bloodless article insinuated that a tender for the Ricasoli Tank farm was issued. Even though the Harbour regeneration plan did not plan to keep Ricasoli. 

Yet the real issue was all about the criteria issued in the tender document.

A number of questions were asked in the article and of course nothing quite happened.

The tender conditions specified that the bidder interested in the Ricasoli farm should have managed a hazardous management installation or a port reception facility for ship-generated waste for a period of at least 10 years.

It also stated that the company must be already in possession of an environmental permit to operate such an installation.

The tender was issued just a day after the Malta Environment and Planning Authority issued a four-year Integrated Pollution Prevention Control permit to Falzon Waste Oils, one of the few Maltese companies which has run a hazardous waste facility for over 10 years.

How strange, Falzon Waste Oils fitted that particular description in the tender.

Gee, it must be a great coincidence.

It was as if someone issued a tender for a Tuesday programme with the following criteria.

"Must dress up with pin striped suits, thinks he is a teenager, has a hairstyle that reminds you of an elegantly dressed 'camicie nere', loves the party more than himself, loves money more than his party,  hates Labour, thinks he knows everything about rock and makes a mockery of independent journalism."

Needless to say, most of you have figured out who fits this description.

Now let me go over some general observations, thanks also to the help of some of Tonio Fenech's greatest admirers - most of them Nationalists who pray that the present Finance Minister fails to get elected in his B'Kara constituency.

Before we kick off we should say from the outset that if Fenech was a politician in another country he would have long resigned from his post in the wake of the private jet affair and the Montebello pjaciri scandal.

The fact that he hung on to his post says quite a lot about his appreciation for the meaning of the abuse of power.

But as we all know Tonio Fenech is one of Gonzi's anointed ones.  Like Pullicino, the family and RCC he is an untouchable.

Many companies have talked to me about the very fact that they see no coincidence in the fact that the tender requirements for Ricasoli takes into consideration the fact that Falzon Waste Oils fits the requirements of this tender perfectly,  if not precisely.

The person or the legal mind who drafted the tender did not even have the decency to camouflage the 'thinking' behind the tender.

The other companies who have an axe to grind and are interested parties have no qualms asking whether it is a coincidence that the planning permit was issued a day before the tender was issued.

Coincidences, my great aunt used to say, are for those who believe in miracles. And miracles as we all know never take place when they are not planned.

Now to believe that there was some collusion between MEPA and the contracts department or the Ministry of Finance is of course diabolical.

But diabolical is precisely what gets the media to places.

It would mean that someone at the ministry would have to ask the man at Castille to give a ring to their contact at MEPA and then the rest of course needs little or no imagination.

But let us not for a minute believe that this is not possible.

To believe that the people at the Ministry of Finance never meddle in matters they should not get involved in is wishful thinking.

Just in case we forgot Falzon Waste Oils is owned by one of Minister Fenech's closest supporters.  By supporter, I mean someone who supports him (and his constituency) politically. If he does not, then really all my information about the owners of Falzon Waste Oils is based on cruel rumours.

Everything in politics is linked to what or whom the minister happens to know. Even marketing campaigns are channeled to those agencies which are close to the ministry.  And by close, I mean really close.  

Why not ask who gets the best share of the Ministry of Finances' advertising budgets?

One of the directors of this advertising agency is stupid enough to serve as the government spokesman on Facebook.

Now, if Falzon Waste Oils have it good, it does not infer that they are given some extra help or favourable consideration by the government or Tonio Fenech.

But having said this, I can't see that they are given unfavourable consideration.

Now back - for a weenie minute - to the Montebellos.

Just in case you have all forgotten, Tonio Fenech's former private secretary confirmed in court that he received 'tips' from contractors Jeffrey and Peter Montebello, who allegedly rewarded him for intervening with the Tax Department to waive fines they owed on the sale of under-declared properties. He did this after collecting money for a number of Fenech's fund-raising events. Now,  the Montebellos are the famous brothers who, apart from leaving a big black hole in their pockets, were responsible for Fenech's turnkey operation at his new home.  Needless to say the Montebellos have also featured in the curious story about the sale of the Jerma Palace Hotel. A sale which would have saved their sweet ass from financial disaster.  The only hitch was that they needed to change the 'functionality' from a hotel to private residences.

The fact that the Montebellos - who also hail from Fenech's home town and have supported him in his campaign - never expected anything from the minister and is of course to be taken with a pinch of salt.

My great aunt also said that no one does anything for nothing.

Noel Borg Hedley, 67, of Gzira was last year handed a permanent interdiction and conditionally discharged for three years after admitting to bribery.

He had taken the witness stand against his alleged 'tippers' and confirmed with Magistrate Audrey Demicoli that he received cheques and cash from the Montebellos as "donations" for activities connected to Fenech's political campaign, but was later also "tipped" for his interventions with governmental departments which handled property tax matters. The Montebellos are denying the charges.

Borg Hedley confirmed everything he told to the police to the court in a detailed statement he released when arrested in 2010.

He admitted to receiving bribes from the contractors in 2008, when he formed part of Fenech's secretariat.

Fenech has of course categorically denied any knowledge of or connection to the case. The case has, however, still proven to be thorny for the finance minister, not least because the contractors are the same ones he had hired to carry out renovation works on his house in Balzan.

And in typical Tonio Fenech fashion, he pulled a Pontius Pilate and washed his hands clean of this.

Just in case we are doubting Fenech's integrity, I am certain that an independent inquiry into all the contracts issued by the contracts department will conclude that  Fenech and his politically appointed minions never ever intervened directly or indirectly to favour anyone close to them.

Of course, the inquiry has to be independent and run by those who have the faith and backing of those who traditionally never trust government.

I am certain, for example, that there was no communication at any level - be it Cabinet or ministerial - to favour Falzon.

When asked about Ricasoli, a government spokesperson cited the "national interest" and the need to safeguard environmental standards to justify these conditions, but prospective bidders are complaining that these conditions have practically excluded most operators from the bidding process.

As I write I am informed that at least two foreign companies are interested in Ricasoli much to the chagrin of people at the finance ministry.

 Those who represent these foreign companies have told me that they are shocked by the antagonism towards their inquiries for more information.

And if for a moment one is led to believe that the Ricasoli tender is a unique example of coincidences, we should perhaps take a look at the little story on the front page of this newspaper.

MaltaToday saw evidence which  shows that ARMS - another one of those grandiose and superb ideas designed by the present administration - has selected a printer to print billing paper which will cost 34% more than the best priced offer. So much for savings!

Incredibly, the contracts department shot down the best offer with the premise that his paper was 1.07% - and I will say it again: 1.07% - below grammage. Just in case you did not know, the weight of one paper of an ARMS bill it is 5.54g. 

It should come as no surprise that ARMS are willing to spend more, even if they don't really need to. 

Once again I am sure that there was no divine hand involved, no one was or could be implicated in poisoning this process.

These are just two small snippets from a tendering process which I believe needs to be revisited and taken away from those who have an interest in pushing certain projects in certain ways.

Unlike Tonio Fenech, I do not believe in absolution for my sins. 

I believe that there are unpardonable sins. 

And the only solution to reveal such sins is to carry out proper investigations.

And I cannot see these investigations ever taking place in a correct manner under this administration.

At least on this count, if we believe for a minute that the contracts department and all the other people involved in the tendering process are virginal and upright, I for one do not have any faith in any politically appointed independent inquiries created by this administration.