PD files no confidence motion in Konrad Mizzi

The Democratic Party has filed a motion of no confidence in Konrad Mizzi, following the revelations that the Dubai company 17 Black is owned by Electrogas director Yorgen Fenech.

PD MPs Godfrey Farrugia and Marlene Farrugia submitted the no confidence motion in the Tourism Minister this morning, with the House Business Committee now being tasked to decide when it will be discussed in Parliament.

The motion refers to the fact that murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia had uncovered Mizzi’s New Zealand trust and Panamanian company Hearnville, with the minister then confirming their existence.

It goes on to note that documents published by the Daphne Project subsequently uncovered a declaration in Mizzi’s name which identified 17 Black as a “target client” of Hearnville, together with another Dubai company, Macbridge.

The ownership of 17 Black was then traced to Fenech, the Tumas Group CEO who was given the contract to build and operate the new Electrogas power station for 18 years.

This raises “serious doubs” about whether the contract negotiations were carried out in a free and transparent manner, as required by law, as well as big doubts on corruption and money laundering, the motion said.

In 2016, Mizzi had survived a motion of no confidence which had been filed by Marlene Farrugia, at the time an independent MP, after the Panama Papers revelations.

“Mizzi claimed in Parliament in 2016 that his secret financial structure was set up for estate planning reasons,” PD leader Godfrey Farrugia said in a statement after the new motion was filed today.

What started as doubts at the birth of the 2013 "energy saga" have now grown into suspicious questions about a series of events which were galvanised into indisputable facts when the owner of 17 Black and the relationship with the controversial issue in hand - Electrogas - was established, Farrugia said.

“It is clear that Mizzi’s position as minister is now untenable,” the PD leader added.