Updated | Transport Malta senior official suspended but Police fail to kick-start investigation

A senior official at Transport Malta was suspended with half pay on Sunday after MaltaToday revealed how he had sent an email to an Austrian company – represented by oil trader George Farrugia – suggesting the lower prices which would make winning the tender possible.

MaltaToday yesterday revealed how TM senior official Kenneth Spiteri would keep Farrugia informed of most tendering pre-developments at ADT.

As Farrugia’s presidential pardon hangs in the balance, a senior police source tonight told MaltaToday that no instructions have been given to investigation Spiteri. The source surmised that, most of the time, the Police would not take action unless instructed to do so from a political complaint.

The new emails published by MaltaToday show that George Farrugia organised trips for a key official at the Malta Transport Authority to visit Austria to discuss traffic lighting systems.

The Austrian company, Swarco, which Farrugia represented, was later to win lucrative tenders for lighting systems along kilometres of roads in Malta and Gozo.

MaltaToday has learnt that Farrugia was always the middleman in many of the original tenders, and, fearing the worst, Transport Malta officials have now asked for a record of all tenders issued and awarded.

Sources at Transport Malta have confirmed that Farrugia had an interest in tenders awarded by the authority.

Apart from knowing Spiteri, Farrugia also was very well acquainted with Ray Stafrace, who was not only the chief financial officer at Transport Malta but also the accountant who offered his office address for Farrugia’s Aikon Limited, the secret company he used to transfer the money made off Powerplan’s sales of fuel oil, and into his Swiss bank account.

Today Stafrace, a certified public accountant, holds the post of director of procurement at Transport Malta.

As already revealed by MaltaToday, Farrugia’s tentacles also took him to the Malta Resources Authority, where emails published had led to the suspension and prosecution of official Godwin Sant, found having received gifts from Farrugia.

The pressure to revoke Farrugia’s presidential pardon increased after a court decision that acquitted an Enemalta senior official – Ray Ferris – who was prosecuted by the Police on the basis of allegations made by Farrugia.

The decision has been appealed by the Attorney General. However, if the sentence is confirmed upon appeal, the Attorney General may be constrained to take the ultimate step of revoking the pardon.

The oil trader is the recipient of a presidential pardon granted to him in 2013, conditional on him spilling the beans on the scale of bribery inside Enemalta, where he greased top officials to assist him in winning fuel procurement contracts for his clients Trafigura and TOTSA.