Prime Minister Joseph Muscat yesterday said the Government would be investigating “particular people” involved in the oil procurement scandal.
The information that was emerging from the ongoing sessions at Public Accounts Committee, which probed the Auditor General’s findings into how Enemalta bought its fuel, revealed that fuel with higher levels of sulphur had been bought, he said.
“I hope that this fuel [with higher sulphur levels] was not paid for at the same price of more refined fuel,” Dr Muscat said at the annual general meeting of the Paola Labour Party club.
He hoped the police were aware of what was being said during the PAC sittings, where the “mess” and “confusion” of what went on in Enemalta was revealed.
Turning to immigration, Dr Muscat said he would be discussing the issue with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who arrives in Malta today.
“It’s a challenge. I have been firm in the past and will remain so but it doesn’t mean that we will sacrifice people’s lives,” he said.
Dr Muscat said he was “disgusted” that Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil said in Parliament last week that the Government should have stood firm and sent a group of immigrants who were rescued from drowining to Lampedusa because the Italian island was closer.
“I wasn’t going to start a diplomatic war at the cost of people’s lives. We had to show our humanity when there are people’s lives at stake,” Dr Muscat said.
Dr Muscat said that, politically, Dr Busuttil “simply doesn’t get it” on a number of political issues.
On Thursday, at an EU heads of government meeting, he would remain firm and not give in unless he was satisfied with what was on the table.
If no agreement was reached, he would keep it in mind when the EU demanded solidarity on some other issue, he said.
Dr Muscat said the Government’s top priority was to create wealth, which, in turn, would be redistributed in the country.
The EU was always considered an extension of Malta and, since it was going through an economic crisis, the Government looked to countries outside the EU that were experiencing economic growth, such as China and Israel.
Malta would always remain in control of Enemalta, Dr Muscat said, noting that, in the UK, the government recently announced that the Chinese would buy the majority of their nuclear power stations and also make an €800 million investment at Manchester airport.
It was significant that Dr Busuttil had criticised the Government’s agreement with a consortium to build a gas power station, which would open the way for lower energy tariffs from March, he said.
The Nationalist Party said Dr Muscat confirmed he did not yet realise that today’s Opposition was not like the previous one, which just criticised.
It was constructive and ready to discuss the good of the Maltese and Gozitan people, the PN said.