Shocking that former Enemalta chairman is now employed with power station extension winner's consultant - PL

It was shocking that the former chief executive of Enemalta and the chairman of the committee that chose the BWSC as the winner for the power station extension contract ended up as a consultant to the company’s consultant, the Labour Party said.

It said this was another blow for those who insisted on defending the contract, primarily Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi.

The situation was worse when also considered that the person concerned, David Spiteri Gingell, had defended the change in the emissions law, and said that this was being done because of the EU, something the European Commission has denied.

Mr Spiteri Gingell had also assumed responsibility for the choice of Lahmayer International as consultants to examine the tenders.

Lahmayer worked in partnership with BWSC in a number of projects and their analyses was crucial for the BWSC offer to continue being considered.

Lahmayer were blacklisted by the World Bank because of corruption, the PL said.

It said Mr Spiteri Gingell had said he had not checked about Lahmayer. Mr Spiteri Gingell was now a consultant to BWSC contractor Zaren Vassallo, who was also one of the main financiers of the Nationalist Party. He also employed former Enemalta chairman Alex Tranter when he was awarded the contract. Nationalist MP Charlo Bonnici was also one of his employees.

Mr Vassallo, the PL said, was building a tradition of taking for holidays on yachts PN general secretaries, including the current one Paul Borg Olivier.

It said that the Prime Minister was failing the Maltese and Gozitan taxpayers who were paying for all this when defending this mess.

The PL, it said, was committed to its measures for a better administration of the country.