Galdes denies ‘fuel memo’ on Gaffarena petrol pump

Parliamentary secretary for rural affairs Roderick Galdes has denied that secretariat employees were advised by a memo, to refuel ministry vehicles at the J. Gaff petrol station – the once-illegal petrol pump owned by the Gaffarena family.

Last week, an answer to a parliamentary question posed to environment minister Leo Brincat revealed that departments within the ministry were purchasing most of the fuel from the illegally-built J. Gaff service station in Qormi.

However, Galdes has vehemently rejected claims that he ordered departments falling under his remit to make use of petrol station owned by Marco Gaffarena.

Following this denial, MaltaToday received information that Galdes – a former Qormi mayor – had sent an internal memo by email in which secretariat employees were told to refuel ministry cars at the J. Gaff service station. 

Galdes’s spokesperson told this newspaper the parliamentary secretary “never sent a memo advising secretariat employees to make specific use of J. Gaff service station to refuel vehicles.”

Another source told MaltaToday it was one of Galdes’s closest aides who conveyed the message to secretariat employees to refuel ministry vehicles at the Qormi petrol station.

The secretariat’s fleet of vehicles includes numerous vans, lorries and cars used by the fisheries department, the civil abattoir and the directorate for parks, afforestation and countryside restoration. 

€21,300 was spent on fuel from that particular petrol station between January and May this year, in sharp contrast to the €26,134 spent on such fuel throughout the whole of 2014. 

A note at the end of the PQ indicates that all fuel purchased from the J. Gaff Service Station was from departments that fall directly under Galdes, who has been elected to parliament three times from the sixth district. 

Last week Galdes told MaltaToday that the petrol station in question is the nearest petrol station to the Ghammieri government farm in Marsa, that houses all the vehicles that fall under the Secretariat’s responsibility, 

Galdes’s spokesperson said the parliamentary secretary “categorically denies ever receiving gifts or donations from Marco Gaffarena or his family” during the 2008 and 2013 electoral campaigns.