Former Police Commissioner John Rizzo said this evening he did not have time to give his successor Peter Paul Zammit a proper handover about the oil procurement case after he was removed from his post.

He was replying to questions from members of the Public Accounts Committee is this evening, which is continuing its investigation into oil procurement practices.

Mr Rizzo, who now heads the Civil Protection Department, had been involved in the initial investigations of rogue trader George Farrugia after he had been granted a pardon.

The former police commissioner told the committee Mr Farrugia started giving details the day after the pardon was given. He had been instrumental for the police to obtain evidence to be able to arraign other people as part of their investigations.

He said that prior to the pardon, the police had had enough evidence to arraign Francis Sammut, it had lacked the necessary evidence to arraign others.

He said that the pardon had been drafted by the police and the Attorney General and approved by the Office of the Prime Minister, which had also amended it to make it tougher.

During questioning, PN deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami pointed out that George Farrugia's brothers, who had then been represented by Manuel Mallia, now Home Affairs Minister, had not been arraigned and Dr Mallia had removed the people who had been investigating the case from the police force.