PAC chairman proposes Auditor General should investigate

The chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Labour MP Charles Mangion, feels the parliamentary body should ask the Auditor General to hold a public inquiry into allegations about the Water Services Corporation.

Investments and IT Minister Austin Gatt, himself a PAC member, on Thursday asked Dr Mangion to hold an inquiry into allegations by Opposition Leader Alfred Sant regarding the workings of the WSC. He invited Dr Mangion to investigate the allegations directly or through the Auditor General.

In a letter sent to PAC members yesterday, Dr Mangion said that on August 9 Dr Gatt had sent a letter to the WSC chairman on "Variation orders relating to the Malta and Gozo sewage treatment plants" making valid remarks on the variations in capital works and asking whether or not these were justified and who was responsible.

Dr Mangion said he felt that for the committee to do its work well, it needed a report by the Auditor General comprehensively investigating the remarks and observations in Dr Gatt's letter requesting an inquiry and the remarks and observations on overruns contained in the August 9 letter.

The Auditor General would be asked to table his report in Parliament in the shortest time possible for this to be immediately discussed by the PAC.

Dr Mangion said that if committee members agreed with his proposals, he would then inform the Auditor General accordingly.

When contacted, Dr Mangion said he would wait for the committee members' reaction. If his proposal was not accepted then he would decide on what course of action to take.

Besides Dr Gatt, who suggested the inquiry, and Dr Mangion, the other members of the committee are the Parliamentary Secretary at the Finance Ministry Tonio Fenech, who said he had no objection to the inquiry, Nationalist MP Robert Arrigo, who also agreed with the holding of an inquiry and Nationalist MP Mario de Marco who said that in the August 9 letter to the WSC chairman, Dr Gatt himself had said that if no steps were taken by the corporation he would refer the matter to the Auditor General.

Dr de Marco said one should not confuse this issue with that of the allegations made by the Leader of the Opposition. Dr Sant's allegations were of a certain nature and should be investigated. Dr Gatt's remarks on variations should be probed by the Auditor General if the internal inquiry the minister had asked for was not held. But one should first give the WSC time to hold its own inquiry.

Labour MP Helena Dalli, who also sits on the PAC, said when asked whether she agreed with the holding of an inquiry that the issue had not yet been discussed between the members of the opposition.

Chris Agius, the other Labour MP on the committee, could not be contacted.

In a statement, the Water Services Corporation said it positively welcomed any investigation and hoped this would start quickly. The corporation said it would cooperate fully including through the provision of all the necessary documents.