The House Public Accounts Committee this evening continued its questioning of  Cathy Farrugia, wife of George Farrugia, the oil trader who was granted a presidential pardon to reveal all on the oil procurement scandal.

This was the second time that Mrs Farrugia was appearing before the committee.

Early in today’s sitting, Mrs Farrugia said in reply to questions by Justice Minister Owen Bonnici that she did not take part in meetings with agents and representatives of oil companies, although she may have been introduced to them in social occasions.

She never spoke to them on the phone but sent them invoices. The reps may have communicated directly with her husband on mobile phone and internet, she said.

She said her husband never discussed business matters with her. It had been made very clear by the Farrugia brothers upon her upon marriage that she could never interfere in the family business.

Mrs Farrugia said she only got to know recently, from the newspapers, about her husband’s problems with former Enemalta chairman Tancred Tabone.

Asked whether she attended political events with her husband, she said she once attended a dinner as part of a political event by then minister Tonio Fenech.

Replying to questions by Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis, Mrs Farrugia said invoices she prepared were usually reviewed by her husband. The invoices involved the legitimate business of her husband’s company Powerplan Ltd. She got her information for the invoices from the contracts.

Dr Zammit Lewis referred to an e-mail where Mrs Farrugia tried to arrange a meeting between her husband and then Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi. He asked if there had been previous meetings.

She said she did not know. They could have met socially at a French embassy reception or a social event hosted by Eddie Fenech Adami.

She did not know what her husband wanted to meet Dr Gonzi about.

Dr Zammit Lewis said the e-mail request showed a certain familiarity, even mentioning the children.

Mrs Farrugia said she knew Dr Gonzi because they used to work in the same place (At Mizzi House) some time before until 1995.

This was the only time she requested a meeting with Dr Gonzi for her husband. The request was made on her private e-mail from home.

She did not know why her husband asked her to make the request, but at home at the time (in 2008) he did not use an e-mail account.

Dr Zammit Lewis said that such familiarity after 13 years led him to suspect that other meetings had been held with Dr Gonzi.

Mrs Farrugia said  no meetings had been held with Dr Gonzi between 1995 and 2008, except possibly greetings in some social occasion where she might have introduced her husband to him.

At this point the questioning was concluded.  

See earlier testimony by Cathy Farrugia at http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150311/local/oil-traders-wife-does-not-know-why-lawrence-gonzi-refused-to-meet-her.559489