[WATCH] Minister asks PAC to forward prisons’ direct order for Auditor General’s inquiry

Minister asks PAC to forward prisons’ direct order for Auditor General’s inquiry

Home affairs minister Carmelo Abela has written to the chairman of the public accounts committee, Nationalist MP Tonio Fenech, asking the committee to investigate a controversial €880,000 direct order for the upgrading of the IT systems at the Corradino Correctional Facility.

“This morning I asked the chairman public accounts committee to investigate and if need be, ask the Auditor general to investigate,” Abela said, adding that he could not ask the Auditor General to investigate himself.

According to Abela the need to upgrade the IT systems at the correctional facility was highlighted in a report on the facility by Martin Scicluna. “When you have a report like this talking about problems, especially when it comes to CCTV in a facility like this it is shocking,” he said.

The minister said the IT work at the facility, carried out by Infinite Fusion Technologies, had previously been done by GO, which in turn subcontracted it to the smaller company owned by Liam Ferriggi.

Abela said that owing to the fact that GO could not carry out the required work in the necessary time frames, Infinite fusion technologies had been engaged directly.

He said that all regulations that allow for direct orders to be given with urgency had been followed and that the department of contracts was satisfied with the request.

Abela also confirmed with MaltaToday that two employees who previously worked with Infinite Fusion Technologies had joined the correctional facility on a full-time basis, adding that they did so through official channels.

Abela said the company in question had applied for tenders before he was made minister and that it had both won and lost tenders in the past. 

He denied the involvement of any of his family members of individuals from his district and said that he would not waste his time with Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi, “who was investigated and condemned by the Auditor General”.