PN MPs slam ‘abusive’ headship appointment at Transport Malta

The person responsible for Transport Malta’s acquisition of defective RHIBs is being rewarded with a new headship position, Nationalist MPs claimed on Thursday.

Nationalist Party spokespersons Adrian Delia and Ivan Castillo said the advertised post for chief officer for land enforcement was earmarked for the individual responsible for the RHIBs tender.

“In yet another example of political decisions that serve Robert Abela’s friends, Transport Malta has issued a call for chief officer land enforcement when the person has already been chosen,” the MPs said, calling it an abusive choice.

They said the chosen individual had been responsible for the tender to purchase sea craft for use by the authority’s maritime section that are unusable to this very day.

“The chosen person was directly involved in the purchase of sea craft that cost €900,000 and are deemed to be unseaworthy… instead of investigating this abuse of public funds, Robert Abela and [Transport Minister] Aaron Farrugia are rewarding the person responsible for squandering this money,” Delia and Castillo said, adding the individual was close to the Prime Minister.

The PN MPs said Farrugia had a duty to answer for the “mess” at Transport Malta and urged the Department of Contracts to immediately investigate the RHIBs tender.

Meanwhile, in a Facebook post, Delia named Patrick Pollacco as the individual responsible for the RHIBs tender and who is earmarked for the headship post in the lands unit.

Pollacco currently heads TM’s maritime enforcement section.

Delia also claimed the RHIBs tender was awarded abusively because the company had submitted its bid after the closing time.

He also called on Farrugia to shoulder responsibility and resign.

READ ALSO: Joe Giglio representing RHIB suppliers as TM comes under fire from PN