Enemalta has refused to disclose information about the company’s oil purchasing history, citing “commercial sensitivity” as police yesterday interrogated Frank Sammut, who is at the centre of corruption allegations regarding oil procurement by the Government’s energy corporation.
Reports emerged on Sunday that Mr Sammut, a former Enemalta director and member of the Oil Procurement Committee, received commissions from Dutch oil company Trafigura in 2004. According to Malta Today, the funds were deposited in a Swiss bank account.
Trafigura, which has been caught up in international scandals in the past, still supplies the island with oil.
The Times yesterday asked Enemalta for a full breakdown of the oil procurement tenders issued and granted over the past 20 years.
The newspaper asked for the names of the companies that participated in each tender and the ones that were awarded, as well as for details on the contracts including tonnage, value and duration.
‘Information commercially sensitive’
The information would shed light on how often Trafigura won contracts and whether it maintained a privileged position before, during or after Mr Sammut’s involvement in oil purchasing. In reply, the Government’s energy corporation said the information was “commercially sensitive” and it would not be prudent for Enemalta to disclose it.
In another press statement, Enemalta said the last fuel contract was awarded to Trafigura in December, with a contract period from the end of January to end of June 2013.
The tender was for the provision of 160,000-176,000 metric tonnes in eight parcels. Trafigura made the cheapest offer, the corporation said.
It also explained the “very strict rules” covering the fuel procurement process: only approved entities are invited to tender and the mailbox in which offers are received is locked by password.
Offers are evaluated by a seven-member committee, which then negotiates by teleconference with the ranked bidders to secure the best deal possible.
The Prime Minister on Sunday wrote to the Police Commissioner asking him to investigate the claims made by Malta Today.