Muscat keeps up pressure on Enemalta scandal correspondence

Labour Leader Joseph Muscat has kept up the pressure on the Nationalist administration over a number of emails, published earlier this week, which suggest that Minister Austin Gatt was involved in personal meetings with oil trader George Farrugia, an agent for commodities firms Trafigura and Total.

The emails represent the latest turning point in the developing Enemalta commissions kickbacks scandal which, since first reported by MaltaToday two weeks ago, went on to become a leading campaign issue.

Less than a week ago, George Farrugia was granted a presidential pardon to turn State witness as part of ongoing investigation into Enemalta kickbacks on oil-purchasing, during which high-profile persons such as Austin Gatt have already been questioned by police.

Speaking during an interview broadcast on ONE TV in lieu of the customary evening 'tent' event - called off because of the downpour - Muscat reiterated calls for both Gonzi and Gatt to clarify Gatt's involvement in the scandal.

"The Prime Minister started off by being silent about the issue. But the situation as it stands today is worse than silence. Suddenly, the Prime Minister has started acting as Austin Gatt's lawyer," Muscat said.

"First [Gonzi] did not want to comment, and how he says that he believes Austin Gatt's version from start to finish."

Muscat said that this was despite how Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi had declared that he would not be commenting on the case so as not to prejudice the investigation.

"However in the same breath, the Prime Minister went on to say that he believes Austin Gatt," Muscat said. "This is a contradiction in itself."

Muscat insisted that Gatt has not been consistent, and referring to his claims to have met with Farrugia purely in the role of a political candidate.

"At the beginning, Gatt had insisted that he met with the agent, but only in his capacity as a District 1 candidate. He gave the impression that this was nothing more than a constituency meeting."

"But now, we have confirmation that an oil company, Trafigura, had been asking the agent to find out how the meeting went," Muscat said.

Muscat also noted that other correspondence that was published makes explicit reference to former Enemalta chairman Tancred Tabone and someone with the initials "A.G.", as well as another correspondence making reference to someone named "Aust".

"I will not draw my own conclusions as the Prime Minister asked us to. I am requesting Gatt and the prime Minister to clarify the situation."

Muscat also dismissed the suggestion that Austin Gatt would face the political responsibility for his involvement.

"What political responsibility can he shoulder, 24 days away from an election that he will not be contesting? Will he resign now?" Muscat asked.

"People need to be told what his involvement in the issue is, and the situation must be clarified. What the Prime Minister has said so far is not satisfactory."

The Labour leader also reiterated that "while the Prime Minister had found time to build a new parliament, but did not find time to introduce Whistleblower's Act."

He had five years to do so, but did not. Interestingly, [the Whistleblowers' Act] is not in the Nationalist Party's new electoral programme," Muscat said.

Muscat said that thanks to the lack of this crucial piece of legislation, "we could be facing a situation where politicians who know they are tainted, are in a position of having part of the say as to whether a presidential pardon is granted or not."

"In such a situation, the politician involved could be making a personal calculation on whether to grant that pardon or not," he said.

Muscat also questioned the relevance of the ongoing Enemalta scandal with regard to Malta's two-time decision to not opt for a gas-pipeline in the past years.

"Why was there a ferocious attack regarding your plan regarding switch over to gas?" Muscat asked. "It is clear where the attack was coming from."

He added that "the attack also needs to be seen from perspective of the existence of a strong oil fuel importation lobby," and the "strong probability that if Labour is elected, Malta would move away from oil."

"There are some who prosper on Malta's huge spending on oil who do not see us favourably," Muscat warned ominously, adding that those Nationalists who similarly pushed for a gas switch-over were "side-lined."