Gozo Minister Anton Refalo is insisting he acted correctly when referring a contractor to the civil service structures that dealt with potential whistleblowers.

In his first comments to Times of Malta, which has been chasing replies since the story first surfaced last month, Dr Refalo denied withholding information.

Despite the seriousness of the claim, Dr Refalo did not refer the matter to the police after he received the allegation in November. The police only got involved last March when the allegations surfaced in Malta Today at the start of the local elections campaign.

But he yesterday insisted he had immediately referred the contractor to the civil service structures that dealt with whistleblowers.

Dr Refalo had received the allegation from Gozitan contractor Joe Cauchi, who spoke of a scheme by which works in the private sector were carried out using public funds.

“When he [the contractor] came to speak to me, I realised it was not my competence and passed on the case to the relevant civil service structures. I then left it up to them and did not interfere,” Dr Refalo said, adding he had been unwell and unable to reply to the questions earlier.

He said the civil servants in the Gozo Ministry could verify whether the allegations were founded since they also had access to tenders that had been issued.

‘All we do is to help councils in public jobs’

“It is not the secretariat’s job to investigate but the branch in the Gozo Ministry that checks matters and initiates the whistleblower procedures,” he said.

Dr Refalo said the verification process under the whistleblower procedure took time. Mr Cauchi was eventually given protection under the Whistleblower Act.

Mr Cauchi was the first to lift the lid on an alleged scam that saw construction material provided by the construction department at the Gozo Ministry for use in private works. The department was run by former Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono’s husband Anthony.

The police are investigating the claims but Ms Debono and her husband both denied wrongdoing.

The controversy had embroiled the Nationalist Party secretary general Chris Said, who admitted receiving an e-mail from Mr Cauchi in May last year with the allegations.

No work in the private sector is being done

Dr Said has said the words “works for votes” did not necessarily imply abuse and this is why he had not referred the matter to the police.

In the political bickering that ensued, the Nationalist Party’s media uncovered what it alleged were fresh cases of private works done with public funds under Dr Refalo’s responsibility.

But the minister yesterday flatly denied the allegations, urging anyone with information to go to the police.

“I don’t know at what stage the police investigations have arrived. I am not aware of their progress because it is up to them. But no work in the private sector is being done. All we do is help local councils in public jobs.”

Dr Refalo said he had looked into all the allegations made by the PN, insisting they were untrue.

He said a particular case involving private garages in San Lawrenz was the result of road collapse that led to garages being subjected to flooding each time it rained.

“We had to lower the road and as a result the garages on the street had to have a ramp that either started in the middle of the road or a ramp inside the garage.

“One of the owners filed a court request for an injunction.

“We settled out of court by lowering the garage floors because it was the government’s fault that the road height was not correct. The garage owners would then finance the doors and all.”

He referred to another case involving the use of a public works bobcat at night, which was used to clear debris from a wall that had collapsed.

“I was present at 2am and we got the bobcat to remove the danger posed by the rocks... none of the allegations against me are true,” Dr Refalo insisted.

kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com