'Lack of will' to fight corruption

The Finance Minister confirmed the lack of will to fight corruption when he declared he did not call for a police investigation due to lack of information, the Labour Party said yesterday.

The party was reacting to comments made by Tonio Fenech on Thursday. The minister was replying to questions on his decision to stop at an internal investigation after an allegation had reached him in September that an official had asked for money in return for favourable treatment in a tender for the privatisation of the super yacht repair facility.

Mr Fenech said he "did not have any more information apart from the fact that someone was making some allegations". The comment came two days after Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi brought in the police in connection with the same allegations, a day after such allegations came to the Prime Minister's attention late on Tuesday. "From what Mr Fenech said, he did not know who had made the allegations at the Office of the Prime Minister but decided to push them aside as hearsay," the Labour Party said.

"Dr Gonzi's attitude and that of his ministers show the government's lack of will to fight corruption, which is being paid for by Maltese and Gozitan families and businesses," the party said.