Change of laws needed

Current laws do not provide for the blacklisting of companies or directors from being awarded government tenders for having breached corruption laws, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi told Parliament in reply to a question by Gino Cauchi (PL).

The government was planning to amend the laws so that a person in breach of any law would not be awarded any government tenders. No notification had yet been issued to local councils advising them not to award tenders for works or supplies to companies implicated in the VAT corruption case. Dr Gonzi added that, when a person was interdicted by the courts under the criminal code, this simply meant that the person could not occupy any public office.