Updated - Adds details on golden handshake

Frank Sammut, who is at the centre of an alleged Enemalta corruption scandal, was a member of the fuel procurement committee between 1987 and 1998, including under Alfred Sant's Labour administration, a spokesman for the Finance Ministry told timesofmalta.com.

In fact, he was not directly involved in fuel procurement for Enemalta after 1998.

"After 1998, according to our records, he was just an employee of Mediterranean Oil Bunkering Co, except when he was consultant to chairman for a specific job," a ministry spokesman said.

Mr Sammut, who was yesterday questioned by the police over allegations that surfaced on Sunday, was an Enemalta director between 1987 and 1990.

He then became a consultant to the Enemalta chairman and board on petroleum and gas between 1992 and 1994, the Finance Ministry said.

Around the period when he allegedly received commissions from oil company Trafigura, he was consultant to the Enemalta chairman (between August 2003 and August 2004) on a one-year contract where he was tasked with "reorganising and rationalising" the storage of petroleum products at Enemalta. However, he was not responsible for buying oil.

Separately, Mr Sammut was also an employee of Government company Mediterranean Offshore Bunkering Company (MOBC) between 1988 and 2004.

GOLDEN HANDSHAKE

Mr Sammut was given a golden handshake of almost €100,000 when his contract was terminated, sources confirmed to timesofmalta.com.

Mr Sammut's contract of employment laid down that: If however, termination is due to liquidation or redundancy for whatever reason, not necessarily mentioned within this agreement, then the employer undertakes to pay the employee a terminal benefit equivalent to two-and-a-held-times his present salary or two months pay for every year of employment from date of employment 1st February 1988 worked at the last established salary of the employee."