Commission finds no corruption by former Housing Authority CEO

The Permanent Commission Against Corruption has found that no corruption was committed by the former chief executive of the Housing Authority, Victor Sciberras Grioli.

The commission investigated Mr Sciberras Grioli at his own request following allegations made by Opposition leader Alfred Sant in parliament on December 12, 2001.

Dr Sant had said, among other things, that Mr Sciberras Grioli used drivers and cars of the authority for his own family; he had used the authority's contractors to finish his son's maisonette, he had taken a Housing Authority flat for his son on the basis of insider information and had used the same method to enable a driver to be given a Housing Authority garage.

It was also alleged that Mr Sciberras Grioli had threatened that if action was taken against him, he would reveal what he had done in the Lay Lay case as he had been the one who leaked the story. It was claimed that the prime minister was grateful to Mr Sciberras Grioli but had always known he had done something wrong.

The planned purchase of property from Lay Lay by the Labour government in 1998 had been a major electoral issue.

The commission in a long report said it had found no abuse in the use of contractors of the authority for the completion of property belonging to Mr Sciberras Grioli's son.

Neither did it result that Mr Sciberras Grioli had used confidential information to enable his son to be given a Housing Authority flat or a driver to be given a garage.

The commission said it had questioned Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami on the Lay Lay case, about which an issue arose before the 1998 election. Dr Fenech Adami confirmed that when he was leader of the opposition he had met Mr Sciberras Grioli and they had discussed the Lay Lay case but Mr Sciberras Grioli had not told him anything he had not known and therefore he (Dr Fenech Adami) had no reason to be grateful to him. Dr Fenech Adami told the commission he could not say that Mr Sciberras Grioli had acted in an incorrect manner.

Dr Sant did not give evidence before the commission as he was abroad, but he submitted a declaration where he confirmed his allegations, saying they were backed by a Housing Authority document which he was not at liberty to publish.

The commission said Dr Sant could not confirm on oath the allegations made in the document because the allegations he had stemmed from the document itself and Dr Sant did not know the allegations first hand.

The commission was formed of Judge Albert Manche and Col John Harrison and Dr Guido Saliba, members.