Malta Today editor Saviour Balzan yesterday claimed that evidence of the oil procurement scandal had been shredded by an aide of the former infrastructure minister Austin Gatt.

Testifying in libel proceedings initiated against him by Dr Gatt, Mr Balzan said that in the summer of 2011 a Security Service agent who provided security to then Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi had been handed documents showing that kickbacks had been paid on Enemalta oil purchases.

Dr Gonzi told him to inform the then head of the Security Service, Godfrey Scicluna, which he did. The name of this man was not revealed.

According to Mr Balzan, Mr Scicluna spoke to a high level official at Dr Gatt’s ministry and the latter “shredded a number of the documents” and passed on the rest to the Tax Compliance Unit.

The official was not named by Mr Balzan but he said this person was currently in court and would be brought to testify once his case came to an end.

Following this episode, it took two-and-a-half years before the case came to light, after being reported by Malta Today.

Mr Balzan insisted yesterday that he had never said or alleged that Dr Gatt had taken kickbacks or had been bribed in relation to this case.

The libel proceedings revolve around an article published on January 27 in the run-up to the March general election, which alleged that rogue oil trader George Farrugia, who was looking to secure lucrative oil deals with Enemalta, had met the minister.

Earlier this year, Mr Farrugia had been granted a presidential pardon to tell all he knows about the bribery scandal.

During the campaign, Dr Gatt admitted that he had met Mr Farrugia but denied ever discussing oil tenders with him.

Mr Balzan yesterday produced a number of e-mails between Dr Gatt and Mr Farrugia to support his article. In one dated June 4, 2003, written by Mr Farrugia and sent to former Enemalta chairman Tancred Tabone – who is facing bribery charges over the case – the oil trader said he would inform the former chairman about a meeting with Dr Gatt.

In another e-mail, dated July 17, 2003, Mr Farrugia told Naim Ahmed, an official from the oil company Trafigura, that he had met the new minister and the new chairman.

On March 22, 2005, Mr Farrugia e-mailed Mr Tabone to say he would meet Dr Gatt that afternoon and asked to meet him afterwards.

Mr Balzan said Malta Today had investigated the oil procurement scandal after allegations of kickbacks in the procurement of oil by Enemalta had surfaced.

The case continues.