The autonomous National Audit Office plays a crucial role in ensuring proper adherence to the regulations of public procurement. A report covering all the ministries is published every year, recording shortcomings usually of a procedural nature. Occasionally, shortcomings raise more than an eyebrow. Deficiencies flagged are generally addressed in the following financial year.
When the Auditor’s office publishes a report such as the one regarding the Prime Minister’s direct intervention in the Café Premier case, the public starts asking questions about the nature of the lack of transparency that is highlighted.
When such a damning reportis followed by another in the space of a few days, the second referring to the Energy Minister’s interference to procure fuel from an Azeri company, one would be justified to question the modus operandi of the institution ofthis government.
The Opposition was right to cry foul when the Café Premier report was published. The public learnt that Joseph Muscat met one of the owners three times in the months preceeding the 2013 general election. The outlet served its last cappuccinos on polling day and shut its doors while Muscat was taking his oath of office.
The court proceedings, initiated under the PN government to repossess the site, were instantly dropped by the new government. A sum of €4.2 million from our taxes was paid by the government for a property it could have repossessed for free.
What amazes me is how a new Prime Minister could, after a few weeks in office, rush through the negotiation of a bailout of a failed businessman, rather than concentrating on taking stock of what he found. Rushing through and giving €4.2 million to someone knocking on your door, behind the back of the Land Department, is not something the Prime Minister should brag about.
The report points out a number of irregularities and important questions have still not been answered satisfactorily. Addressing the PN general council, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil made a simple suggestion to the Prime Minister. If Muscat acknowledged that a mistake had been made in the Premier case, should he not consider halting any pendingpayments, which amount to €1.2 million?
In view that the Prime Minister instantly brushed off this suggestion, the public would be justified to question his previous admission that mistakes were made. When Muscat was asked about the Leader of the Opposition’s suggestion, he answered that the mistakes were of a procedural nature not political.
Two years ago the people voted in their masses for a change. The change they wanted was not just a change of faces
I have no clue on what is meant by such a statement.
We were still in the process of digesting this cryptic dismissal, when the National Audit Office published another derogatory report, with strong accusations addressed to the Health and Energy Minister.
In a nutshell the latest report exposed Mizzi’s direct interference in the procurement of fuel from Socar, a company hailing from one of the most corrupt countries in the world, Azerbaijan. From this particular contract Malta lost several millions of euros.
As a result, in the past few months Maltese motorists have been paying much more than their European counterparts in order to pay for Mizzi’s suspect interference.
There is however anotherelement in this story. In the final weeks of last year, just a few months after the Socar contract was awarded, Mizzi accompanied Muscat and two officials from the Prime Minister’s private secretariat on a secret mission to Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital. They were not accompanied by any member of the public service and we were never told who they met and what was discussed.
In view of this damning Auditor’s report, the public is owed an explanation. This lack of transparency is rather suspect.
In the run up to the 2013 election, Muscat, then leader ofthe Opposition, promised us among other things a transparent government, good governance and accountability.
Two years ago the people voted in their masses for a change. The change they wanted was not just a change of faces. People believed that Muscat would bring about a new way of governance.
All in all people believed that Muscat would lead the most transparent and accountable government of all. Little did we know that the Prime Minister would speedily discard what in reality was empty rhetoric.
Two years later the situation has changed. The Auditor General has uncovered Muscat’s suspect behaviour in the Café Premier case while his Energy Minister was admonished for direct intervention in oil procurement. The ex Commissioner of Lands said constant interference was one of the main reasons for his resignation.
The endless list of scandals in the last two years may well be the hallmark of Muscat’s premiership.
Hermann Schiavone is a PN local council candidate.