[attach id=269084 size="medium"]Former minister Austin Gatt has refused to answer questions about Enemalta’s fuel procurement under his watch. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi[/attach]

Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil had a lot to answer for in view of the Auditor General’s report on oil procurement, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said yesterday.

The fact that former minister Austin Gatt was no longer in Parliament did not mean the PN’s administration should not be held accountable for what happened in oil procurement, Dr Muscat said

He said people like former finance minister Tonio Fenech and PN deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami had taken Dr Gatt’s side when he faced a no confidence motion in Parliament, so now they too had to carry his political baggage.

“Once Dr Busuttil is accepting that Dr Gatt is no longer a public person, he should shoulder the responsibly himself. The PN’s reaction to the Auditor General’s report on oil procurement was very weak. People are disgusted with what we know so far,” he said in an interview on One Radio.

“Since I took over the helm of the Labour Party, I was expected to shoulder responsibility for things that happened as far back as World War II,” he continued.

“I shouldered it and do not regret it but Dr Busuttil must do the same. His silence is deafening. If Dr Gatt will not comment, this whole issue landed at Dr Busuttil’s doorstep.”

In an interview on the PN’s radio station, Dr Busuttil said that Dr Gatt was not a member of his team and he could not tell him what to do.

However, had he been in Dr Gatt’s position, he would have replied to questions being asked.

“If I were him, I would have replied to questions. But I cannot call on someone to do something if the person is not under my responsibility,” Dr Busuttil said.

He added that, just like the party, Dr Gatt had shouldered political

responsibility since the PN was not re-elected to government.

Besides the PN shouldering political responsibility, legal proceedings could be taken against former ministers involved in oil procurement, if this was deemed necessary, Dr Busuttil said.

Dr Muscat said he would let the police investigation requested by Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi take its course but added that, if there was evidence that people made mistakes, these must be brought to justice to answer for their actions.

His silence is deafening

“Whoever was responsible has to face the music. It is unacceptable that millions of euros go down the drain,” the Prime Minister said, adding his government was ensuring that such things did not happen again.

It was doing this by, among others, appointing an independent observer on the oil procurement committee.

Dr Busuttil questioned why Dr Mizzi had specified that the police investigation should cover what happened after 2008.

“Is it because he was part of Enemalta’s management before?” Dr Busuttil asked.

Dr Busuttil admitted that the PN had committed mistakes in the energy sector: “We weren’t perfect. We made mistakes.”

He said the Auditor General’s report ought to be discussed in Parliament.

Dr Busuttil said the decision to extend the power station was a good idea but the price of oil at the time did not merit the conversion to gas.

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