Minister George Pullicino mentioned the auditing firm BDO in his article (July 30) to show his rectitude where finances and auditing are concerned.

He might as well have published the difficulties in which his ministry left Pitkali Crates Ltd when it failed to pass on the money collected by the agricultural department from a levy on farmers, middlemen and purchasers for the years 2009, 2010 and up to April 2011.

This failure to pass on these funds went against Clause 3 of the agreement signed on June 15, 1989 between the Director of Agriculture and Pitkali Crates Ltd.

The article states: “The director shall pass every month to the company a sum of money equal to the revenue collected by him in terms of Legal Notice 54 of 1989 or as this may be subsequently amended.”

Now here too the auditing firm BDO comes into the picture. This reliable auditing firm has been auditing pitkali crates since it came into existence. The audited accounts were always passed on to the Director of Agriculture. However when 2009 came to an end the department refused to pass on official details of what funds Pitkali Crates Ltd were due or of the whole amount of money collected for that year.

The auditors BDO were in a quandary. They could not finalise the accounts. The same happened in 2010 and up to the date the department terminated the contract with Pitkali Crates Ltd in April 2011. Now Pitkali Crates wants to liquidate the company and cannot do so since the accounts for the mentioned years cannot be finalised.

I hope the minister will not find in this an occasion to employ another consultant to clear the mess he has created.