Gatt reiterates he did not speak to George Farrugia on oil tenders
Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt has reiterated that he never, ever discussed the business of tenders for oil by Enemalta with George Farrugia or had any conversation with him that remotely touched on such subjects.
This, he said in a statement, applied to the period referred to in the Sunday Times story of yesterday (some 8 to 10 years ago) or any period before or since.
Dr Gatt issued his statement in reply to Labour Party comments.
Joseph Muscat yesterday called on the prime minister and Dr Gatt to explain their position after e-mails published in the newspaper made reference to a minister, to AG and to Aust.
Mr Farrugia has been granted a presidential pardon in return for information on alleged illegal kickbacks for oil procurement by Enemalta.
In his reaction to The Sunday Times story yesterday,Dr Gatt reiterated that when he met Mr Farrugia he had never discussed the business oil procurement.
“The minister repeats once again that his denial in the first paragraph is categorical and if anyone has even a shred of proof that he discussed Enemalta oil tenders with anyone – let alone George Farrugia – then that proof should be immediately given to the Commissioner of Police,” a spokesman for Dr Gatt said.
The spokesman said that Dr Gatt had also met Mr Farrugia – in the presence of a number of his partners and ministry officials – regarding a storage project they were developing and which the ministry was involved in from a maritime point of view.
“The e-mails you refer to do not imply anything contrary to what the minister said and none of them even remotely refer(s) to Enemalta oil tenders. In fact, one of them does not even refer to the minister at all seeing that ‘A.G.’ could be anyone, another one actually refers to Mediterranean Oil Bunkering Corporation storage facilities in which George Farrugia was active as well, and the third one merely states that Tancred Tabone, then chairman of Enemalta, will be meeting the minister, which he did regularly.”
49 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
joseph spiteri
Feb 12th, 11:42
Sur .A.G. kif nista nemnek meta inti daqstant ar.........Spejgali xi jfissru A.G. JEW AUSTN. Il- persuna li hadet il-proklama facilment tista tissimplif ika A.G. jew. Austin. Fid dawl li ma issirx SPEGAZZJONI, X'KONTREBUT GHANDA IL-MAHFRA PRESIDENZJALI?
Joseph E Briffa
Feb 11th, 17:24
Andrew Camilleri. The revision of MP's salaries was long overdue, and was nothing different from the revision of ministers' salaries awarded in Mintoff's time .And if you had any idea how public funds are administered you wouldn't write such a comment, but then one shouldn't be surprised by comments written by diehard labourites. And, finally one fails to see any connection between the two issues
Paul Micallef
Feb 13th, 15:55
Allura jiehdu 500 euro fil gimgha! Hallina! Int ghandek idea qisek ta kif jigu amministrati l public funds! Nahseb bhax xiri taz zejt b miljun euro kuljum! Viva l commission!
ray vassallo
Feb 11th, 16:39
To all PN apologists:
Why should an oil company officer ask how did the meeting with the minister go? How did she know there was a meeting?
Francis Saliba M.D.
Feb 11th, 16:47
How do you know that there was a meeting?
Clinton Magro
Feb 12th, 11:29
How do you know that there was a meeting? Isn't this implied in "How did the meeting go with..."? Are we saying that a meeting SHOULD have taken place... but for some reason this did not happen? In this case How do you know it did not happen?
Paul Micallef
Feb 13th, 15:56
Francis Saliba: Rajthom l emails? Clinton Magri: Iehor ma rax l- emails! L- aqwa li naqbzu ghal gonzipn!
George Calleja
Feb 11th, 16:08
Could it be that George Farrugia was bluffing about his contacts with AG or Aust? This thing happened before when a person was arraigned for squandering money by saying that he had contacts with the same minister.
L Zammit
Feb 11th, 14:47
All PL comments boil down to assassination of PN characters. They have always been like that and will never change.
GL Calleja
Feb 11th, 15:32
Mr Zammit this has nothing to do with PN or PL. This has to do a lot with dishonest people in high places accepting bribes at the TAX PAYER's expense and no Political Party should sanction that.
L Zammit
Feb 11th, 15:54
I too agree that no political party should sanction any illicit behaviour but the PL bloggers here are all out to discredit AG and/or Aust when no one knows the contents of the conversation. I hope you do not deny my accusation of character assassination over the years by the MLP....too many to list here,
Noel Mifsud
Feb 11th, 14:36
Biex tinghata l proklama trid tkun mikxufa l identita ta AUST u ta AG il bqija titnehha u jispicca l habs. Ma naqbilx li l Kabinett ta l Proklama meta dawn iz zewg ismijiet u il laqat li kien fuq ziz ejt jistaw jimplikaw lil xi hadd fil Kabinett
M BUHAGIAR
Feb 11th, 14:35
"Noqgħod fuq id-dikjarazzjonijiet li għamel Austin" - PM
Wouldn't know if I should laugh or cry!!!
Giov DeMartino
Feb 11th, 17:27
Noqghod fuq id-dikjarazzjoni li ghamel Toni Abela All PL apologists
Wouldn't know if I should laugh or cry.
Mr leo attard
Feb 11th, 19:42
@giov deMartino...you will be crying a month from now. I was a PN supporter, but it's obvious that the capt has lost control of the ship! you are not saying Gonzi is right, you're merely saying others did the same thing. only in maths do 2 negatives make a positive
Giov DeMartino
Feb 12th, 07:15
@leo Attard. I'll be laughing a month from now. Laughing at the stupidity of others and laughing because all the goodies delivered by Joseph Muscat will be delivered to me, A NATIONALIST, also. BTW. What did you want from Gonzipn which you did not get?
Mr leo attard
Feb 12th, 15:00
@gov de Martino... for one thing I did not get justice. i will nott give details --suffice to say it's an injustice to be employed with inferior wages by the govt simply for not having a vote.... as regards to your enjoying benefits from the PL, well didn't you hear: Malta taghna lkoll....(PN included) ...also, you are now admitting that muscat will be in power. PN has changed -for the worse
Giov DeMartino
Feb 12th, 17:07
See? I WAS right when I asked Mr Attard what was it he wanted but did not get! He admitted that himself. That is why he is an ex-PN. Not bec of corruption. Not bec of the nat. debt. Who cares about these? The problem is to find an honest man NOT a corrupt one. But Mr Attard refuses to give details. So how can we judge whether it was justice he wanted and not some form of injustice. Cont
Giov DeMartino
Feb 12th, 17:11
Justice? Injustice? It all depends. 5 years ago there was a candidate who wanted a permit to build a disco. Giving such a permit would have been a gross injustice, BUT for him NOT GIVING him the permit was an injustice. And he cried openly and bitterly. And like Mr Attard, he has become an ex...bec of such an injustice.
Giov DeMartino
Feb 13th, 11:47
@ Leo Attard: What did you EXPECT but you did not get? Let us know.
Mr leo attard
Feb 13th, 18:39
@giov de martino..to be paid less, to have all your academic qualifications ignored, simply because you are ineligible to vote, is discrimination. so what i wanted was justice..
Giov DeMartino
Feb 13th, 19:47
@ Leo Attard. Readers want concrete facts, NOT vague statements.
Mr leo attard
Feb 14th, 20:25
@giov de martino...if you cant see the fatcs in my blog it's because you are 'shortsighted', blind by prejudice, or simply a chicken to answer. Just say whether or not the situation I presented is ethical or not. what else do you want? my phone, email, cellphone? You've been given the facts. Now give your opinion.
Joseph Portelli
Feb 11th, 14:29
il-fatt jibqa mhux l-inizjali li ssemmew jew l-ismijiet li ssemmew. Imma jekk jekk Gatt accettax li ufficcjali fl-Enemalta li jaqghu taht il-ministeru tieghu, jiehdu dik il-commission. Haddiehor li kien jaf li l-PN kecca Sindku Nazzjonalista ax kien emm allegat korruzzjoni kontrih, accettah b'idejn it-tnejn! Dik id-differenza!
Joseph E Briffa
Feb 11th, 14:04
One would be forgiven for asking whether anybody in their right senses would discuss illicit or illegal matters via emails. And isn't it obvious that chairmen of Enemalta would have meetings with their minister? And wouldn't it be downright stupid of them to discuss illegal matters in the ministers' office?
Mr Andrew Camilleri
Feb 11th, 14:15
Let's not try to interpret facts when we do not have all the facts. Yours is mere speculation. And some people may be so arrogant and sure of themselves that they do commit stupidities. Did we not have a prime minister who thought he could hide the fact that he awarded himself a €500 weekly rise?
James Catania
Feb 11th, 14:00
Dear Minister, thanks for re-iterating, I totally was suspicious before but now that you have re-iterated, I'm done there is no shred of doubt in my mind. You have just moved towards the top of my honourable gentlemen list. Thank you for doing this and save my view of you.
Gaby Spiteri
Feb 11th, 14:14
I kept waiting to read the sarcastic give-away here!.. But seems like you're genuine.. God I really don't want to know what other names you have on your 'Honourable Gentlemen List' !!!
GL Calleja
Feb 11th, 14:00
This comes down to which of the two is lying? They both cannot be right. Maybe the Times should run a poll and let the people between the ages of 25 and 70 years old take a guess at who or what they think AG and Aust in the email is referring to.
M Borg
Feb 11th, 14:18
I don't know about you, but even if you do not agree with what Austin Gatt does or did, I am sure you must agree that he is not that stupid to act in the way many are thinking that he did.
GL Calleja
Feb 11th, 15:25
Mr Borg don't bet on it. Sometimes people don't think until after the fact. Remember this discussion happened ten years ago.. If this conversation happened at all, it happened in a private office, get it? Walls have ears.
Gordon Farrugia
Feb 11th, 13:58
il-qasba qeghda ccaqcaq Sur Cuc Malti u normalment ma ccaqcaqx al xejn
George Cutajar
Feb 11th, 13:50
Before everybody starts reaching the conclusions one desires and wishes for, given that Austin Gatt is not exactly everybody's favourite minister one can at least have the decency to await the outcome of the ongoing police investigation into the matter. I , personally, have full faith in the COP and am sure that he will use all powers granted to him by law to unravel the whole truth.
Mr Andrew Camilleri
Feb 11th, 14:19
People have a right to reach conclusions just as you did with the Farrugia and Zarb incidents. Are you forgetting how the PN twisted and spun what was said and done? It doen't feel good now, does it?
Thomas Anderson
Feb 11th, 15:22
As long as he is not Labour let's be decent and prudent until the course of justice is done lets keep sleeping dogs lie until at least the 9th of March. I wonder if you would have the same feelings if it was a Labour exponent.
James Tyrrell
Feb 11th, 13:39
Starting to sound like the famous Bill Clinton line, "I did not have sex with that woman!" And we all know how that one turned out.
Ethelbert Schembri
Feb 11th, 13:23
Dear A.G .. you say one thing and hard evidence point in complete opposite direction. Now who we have to believe, someone that has everything to loose (A.G) or someone that came forward to help the investigating team and the investigating team trust him??
Everyone can come up to his conclusions, personally I choose the go with the investigating team!!
P.S - A.G could be Angel Gabriel !
Julian Borg
Feb 11th, 13:43
What HARD evidence .... If you have any please go to the police commissioner otherwise you should shut up. MLP and its supporters always the same - creating an issue where none exists.... Are you that desperate?
M Borg
Feb 11th, 14:23
" The spokesman said that Dr Gatt had also met Mr Farrugia – in the presence of a number of his partners and ministry officials – regarding a storage project they were developing and which the ministry was involved in from a maritime point of view." .
However if you have any other evidence .according to the above Dr Gatt asks any one to take the proof to the police.
N. Aquilina
Feb 11th, 13:15
So let me get this straight AG who at that time was responsible for Enemalta and GF who is implicated in the kickbacks and was back then the Trafigura & Total contact, met up to discuss the weather, healthy food, religion and even fashion but not OIL, there is no doubt AG is saying the truth! Give the benefit of the doubt to the gentleman of all gentlemen in Malta
Alfred Vassallo
Feb 11th, 13:11
Well one thing for sure none of us were their to approve or disapprove his version of events. Now lets see what the presidential pardon has in store for us. eh?
Mr Andrew Camilleri
Feb 11th, 14:21
Like none of us were there when Tony Zarb had his lunch meeting. Except that Michael Ferry was there and has stated that what was said was nothing like the spun story Gonzi and friends concocted. Now we know the truth from someone who was there - and it has nothing to do with what Gonzi is implying.
Victor Vella
Feb 11th, 12:57
Let the truth comes to the surface and the perpetrators of evil take what they deserve.
Peter Grech
Feb 11th, 12:48
Why her wrote initials and not full name? As if he wanted to hide his name.
W. Cassar
Feb 11th, 12:47
What else is he going to say!
Its up to who is investigating the matter to prove it... there is certainly a few question marks on documents that have appeared.
Maria Grech
Feb 11th, 12:46
Don't worry Mr Minister jew ahjar Aust jew AG ! We are all believing you! Lol
David Magro
Feb 11th, 12:38
What does A.G and Aust stand for? Can GonziPN illumiante us these abbrivations stand for ?
Eve Axiaq
Feb 11th, 12:17
Gatt baqa ma spjegax fuq hiex tkellmu. Forsi fuq it-temp.
Daniel Vella
Feb 11th, 12:10
NO SHAME!!!
Please choose the reason of your report below: