[WATCH] Magisterial inquiry into Busuttil fuel report made Speaker think twice

Anglu Farrugia 'waiting' for fuel inquiry results • Video by Ray Attard

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Anglu Farrugia, has admitted to phoning Police Commissioner Michael Cassar to ask why a magisterial inquiry was launched after he himself filed a report over an alleged discrepancy in the fuel consumed by the Opposition leader’s official car.

The Speaker has insisted that he learnt of the magisterial inquiry after receiving a letter from Opposition leader Simon Busuttil last Monday, asking for the suspension of his driver – who is on the House of Representatives’ payroll.

Denying that he filed a criminal complaint, Farrugia claimed that he sought “the assistance” of the Police in its capacity as “the State’s fiduciary authority”.

“The assistance of the Police was sought in order to ascertain data relating to the actual fuel consumption of the vehicle,” Farrugia told MaltaToday.

In comments to reporters on Monday morning, Farrugia said that he “no longer” had anything to do with the inquiry, other than to wait for the results of the magisterial inquiry.

But the Speaker’s decision not to suspend the chauffeur has fuelled suggestions that initial suspicions of fraud were on a weak footing.

 “I felt it was premature to suspend the person concerned,” Farrugia said when asked why Busuttil’s request was turned down.

Busuttil has confirmed that the fuel allowance he is entitled to was never exceeded. However, the parliament’s corporate services director, together with Farrugia and the Clerk of the House, were said to have noted a discrepancy between the fuel consumed and the mileage registered on Busuttil’s official car.

Farrugia has not ruled out that this could have resulted from a vehicle malfunction and he refuted suggestions that he acted rashly in filing a police report, saying that he had “no other choice in view of the available information”.

Throughout his replies to questions put by MaltaToday, Farrugia reiterated that “all decisions taken” were taken by himself “following discussion between all officers concerned”.

What seemed to raise eyebrows were the “suspiciously unrealistic” odometer readings.

“Attention was being drawn by our accounts section for quite some time that apart from other expenses, all the fuel entitlement was being requested on a regular basis and that the odometer readings were suspiciously unrealistic,” Farrugia said. 

“I then requested that the matter be brought to the attention of the Leader of Opposition, who immediately gave his go-ahead for the readings to be taken directly by our Office.”

This resulted in a higher odometer reading which, however, according to parliament’s preliminary queries, still did not seem to justify the fuel consumption of the vehicle.  

“I therefore considered it opportune to have further tests conducted on the vehicle. The Leader of the Opposition was duly notified and in reply he provided our office with information related to fuel consumption of other similar vehicles.”

Farrugia said that at this stage he was not omitting anything, particularly after the Police “found it opportune and exercised its powers ex ufficio without our knowledge to refer the matter to the Duty Magistrate.”

“Upon being informed by the Leader of the Opposition in a letter sent via email that a magisterial inquiry was under way, I immediately phoned the Commissioner of Police seeking reasons why such a course of action was chosen.  

“The Commissioner informed me that his choice of action was mainly based on the fact that by doing so the Magistrate would appoint independent technical experts to conduct an independent inquiry which is still ongoing.”

Farrugia denied having informed the Office of the Prime Minister of developments. “Absolutely not. The only person who was being informed was the Leader of Opposition,” he said.

A spokesperson for the Office of the Prime Minister told MaltaToday that the OPM was not informed of the investigation by parliament, or of the police’s involvement.