Consumer affairs director rejects Labour MP's claims

The director of consumer affairs has filed a counter judicial protest against the Labour Party's spokesman for resources and transport, Joe Mizzi, saying that allegations he made on the utility tariffs were unfounded.

Mr Mizzi wrote to the director on January 19 claiming that the legal notices implementing the utility tariffs went against the Constitution as well as the Treaty of the European Union. He asked the director to issue intermediary measures regarding the tariffs.

Mr Mizzi had filed a judicial protest on February 2 insisting that his complaint to the consumer affairs division required immediate action because it constituted a serious prejudice against the economy.

He filed a second judicial protest on February 13, saying that although he asked the director of consumer affairs to investigate the legal notices he still had not heard anything yet.

In the counter protest, the director of consumer affairs, Mireille Vella said that for the intermediary measures to take place, a reasoned report needed to be filed by Mr Mizzi. That report would then be presented to the commission for fair competition for evaluation, she said.

The director asked Mr Mizzi to stop all the frivolous proceedings against her and held him responsible for any possible damages she might suffer.

The protest was signed by lawyers Joseph Bonello and Antoine Grima form the Attorney General's Office.