PN expects government to take GWU to court

The Opposition says it expects the government to take the General Workers Union to court over the breach of an emphyteutical agreement between the government and the union.
An investigation by the Auditor General found that the GWU’s lease of offices to ARMS Ltd and two commercial entities was in breach of the public contract because the union did not hold a majority shareholding.

“Political responsibility must be shouldered by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat in view of yet another scandal,” MPs Jason Azzopardi and Ryan Callus insisted.

The Opposition said it could not understand why the government was “stalling” when the Attorney General himself told the NAO that the agreement with ARMS Ltd was in breach of the original contract.

“The report shows nonchalance and a deliberate plan to nullify a parliamentary resolution to accommodate someone,” Azzopardi said.

The Opposition reiterated that if the government wanted to be taken seriously, then it should “fight this abuse in the same way it has tackled social benefits abuse”. It expressed its disbelief at how a parliamentary resolution had been ignored and no action was taken even when the issue was brought to light earlier this year.

Azzopardi pointed out that a schedule of redemption filed by the GWU with respect to the perpetual yearly ground rent of its premises was filed after the NAO was asked to investigate it.

“It is malicious and deceitful to say that the conditions were no longer applicable after this sheet of paper was filed,” he said.

Azzopardi added that no one could believe that principal permanent secretary Mario Cutajar, a former GWU official, had been unaware of the lease agreement.

Callus went on to say that “the recent scandals, including Old Mint Street, Cafe Premier and Australia Hall happened under the watch of the Office of the Prime Minister” and involved the Lands Department.