PD calls for publication of full Electrogas contract
Democratic Party asks why LNG wasn’t bought directly from Shell and price Malta pays never corrected to reflect current rates
The Democratic Party has called from the publishing of the complete un-redacted Electrogas contract and an independent foreign expert review to advise Parliament and the Maltese people regarding the legitimacy and legality of the contract, and whether it can be reviewed or rescinded.
The PD’s statement comes in light of the revelations by 'The Daphne Project', published Wednesday that Malta had been paying above-market prices for the supply of liquid petroleum gas for its power stations.
“Energy is a strategic resource. Without it our country cannot function. Buying it way above commercial rates puts us at a disadvantage,” the PD said, “The Maltese consumer is shouldering the burden of that extra cost. If people have been found to profit from signing deals that are disadvantageous to the nation, they should be forced from public office and prosecuted for, at the very least fraud; and if the profiteering is proven to be systematic and widespread, possibly treason.”
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In their statement, the PD also asked why an LNG supply contract was signed with Socar when it isn’t a know supplier or producer of it, and why it wasn’t instead bought at a cheaper rate directly from Shell, Socar’s supplier.
It questioned why there hasn’t been a price correction to the double current commercial rate Malta is currently paying, why there was never a public call for tenders to supply LNG to Malta, why the contract was fixed for an unusually long time, and why journalists and public services had not accompanied Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi when they signed the energy agreement in Baku.