Former minister Austin Gatt is now a private citizen and the Nationalist Party cannot order him about, according to Beppe Fenech Adami.
The deputy leader for party affairs yesterday kept his distance from the former minister when asked on Radio 101, the PN station, about Dr Gatt’s refusal to speak on oil procurement when he was in charge of Enemalta.
Dr Fenech Adami said he could not answer for Dr Gatt’s actions. “He is no longer part of the PN, in the sense that he is no longer an MP. Dr Gatt is now a private person and so I cannot order him to answer journalists.”
Dr Fenech Adami shared the interview with PN deputy leader for parliamentary affairs Mario de Marco.
The party journalist twice had to ask about Dr Gatt’s refusal so far to speak about the damning report released by the Auditor General last week after Dr Fenech Adami skirted the first question.
Sounding uncomfortable, the deputy leader noted that when Dr Gatt was still active in politics and a minister until a few months ago, he had answered questions about the oil scandal that erupted during the election campaign.
But Dr Fenech Adami insisted the State was obliged to investigate any allegations of abuse and action should be taken against anybody who committed wrongdoing. “The PN never tolerated allegations of abuse and always asked the police to investigate.”
On Saturday, Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi asked the police to investigate oil procurement at Enemalta between 2008 and 2010 which, according to the Auditor General’s report, was characterised by poor record keeping and lack of accountability.
Asked about the PN’s dire financial situation and the Government’s drive to introduce a political party financing law, Dr de Marco said the two issues were not necessarily related.
But when referring to political party financing Dr de Marco also mentioned State funding as a possibility. Although he was non-committal on where the party stood on the issue, the mere mention of State funding is a return to the 1995 stand the PN had taken in the Galdes Commission that had discussed rules to make party financing more transparent.
All parties – PN, the Labour Party and Alternattiva Demokratika – had at the time agreed with State funding to supplant private donations. Four years ago, however, the PN had scorned the idea of taxpayer money going to political parties when the matter was being discussed behind closed doors in a parliamentary select committee. The Labour Party had suggested a yearly payment of €5 per vote obtained in the general election.
Dr de Marco said political party financing was “an interesting discussion” that had to be held and which the PN would be involved in.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had said the Government postponed its plan to present a Bill on party financing not to be seen as capitalising on the PN’s financial problems. However, Dr Muscat said he wanted the matter to be on Parliament’s agenda by the end of the year.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com