Enemalta’s hedging agreements over the past two years will be probed by the National Audit Office after a request was made by Beppe Fenech Adami.

The Nationalist Party deputy leader called for the audit during yesterday’s meeting of the Public Accounts Committee that is probing the Auditor General’s findings on fuel procurement between 2008 and 2012.

The government did not object and the PAC instructed the Auditor General to present his findings within a reasonable time frame.

The NAO’s report had a detailed chapter on fuel hedging, including a breakdown of profits and losses made at the time.

“In view of this, I ask the Auditor General to carry out a similar exercise on the period from 2013 to the present,” Dr Fenech Adami said.

The PAC yesterday continued hearing the testimony of former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi, who vented his frustration at the line of questioning by government MPs.

He insisted the persistent questioning on his presumed familiarity with pardoned oil trader George Farrugia’s family implied the pardon was granted because he knew the man.

“M’inix minn wara l-muntanji, [I am not stupid],” Dr Gonzi said as he read out an e-mail he had sent Mr Farrugia and his wife, Cathy, in July 2008, in which he flatly refused a meeting the ­couple had requested over “rumours” that not all was well with the privatisation of Enemalta’s petroleum division.

Mr Farrugia’s company, Powerplan Limited, was one of the bidders in the process.

Dr Gonzi had replied that, on a point of principle, he refused to meet bidders in any tendering process and asked the couple to go to the relevant authorities if they had any allegations.

He reiterated on numerous occasions that although he knew who Cathy Farrugia was – she had worked as a secretary with the Mizzi Group at the same time Dr Gonzi was employed there – there was no familiarity between them.

Justice Minister Owen Bonnici, a PAC member, insisted the line of questioning was necessary because, in his first appearance before the committee, Dr Gonzi said he did not recall ever talking to Ms Farrugia when it later transpired there had been an exchange of e-mails.

Dr Gonzi said he was angry with himself that he had forgotten about the e-mail exchange during the first sitting. “I am angry because my reply at the time [2008] does me honour because I refused to meet Mr Farrugia and his wife over a tender.”

He was asked about a presentation given to him in 2009 by Horizon Terminals Limited, which was interested in developing an oil bunkering project at Bengħajsa.

Dr Bonnici recalled Mr Farrugia’s testimony in the PAC that he was involved in the project.

Dr Gonzi was asked why in his previous testimony he had denied having business meetings with Mr Farrugia and he replied that he took the question to mean business related to the oil procurement scandal.

“To my knowledge, the project was not George Farrugia’s but Beppe Hili’s because the land in question belonged to the Hili family. I do not know what George Farrugia’s connection was and I reiterate I never met with him over oil procurement,” Dr Gonzi insisted.

He is expected to continue testifying in the next sitting.

kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com