Bernard Pace, a member of former minister Austin Gatt's secretariat, this evening told the House Business Committee that he could not remember details of meetings he had with members of the Farrugia family in Hamrun.
Replying to questions in connection with the committee's investigation of Enemalta oil procurement processes, Mr Pace said he hardly knew oil trader George Farrugia as his meetings were mostly with his brother Raymond with regard to the John's Garage Group, of which he was a director.
Mr Pace confirmed that, being from Hamrun, he had carried out constituency work for Dr Gatt and later for Claudio Grech (now a PN MP and then also a member of Dr Gatt's secretariat).
Mr Pace said he knew the Farrugias of John’s Garage as a prominent family in Hamrun. They made a wedding hall available for events by both political parties.
He did not know of any financial contribution to Dr Gatt's electoral campaign, nor did he know who was responsible for the financial management of the campaign or who led the campaign.
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Replying to questions by Justice Minister Owen Bonnici, Mr Pace said he could not recall calling Ray Farrugia on the day the oil procurement scandal broke.
Dr Bonnici expressed strong scepticism that Mr Pace could not remember the details he was being questioned about. He asserted that Mr Pace had in fact called Dr Gatt and Mr Farrugia.
Committee chairman Jason Azzopardi called for evidence of this assertion and Dr Bonnici said that this was a question not a fact.
Mr Pace said that he met with Ray and Chris Farrugia and had discussed the news story. He said he had gone for the meeting on his own and in the course of the discussion they mentioned that Mr Claudio Grech, also a member of Dr Gatt’s secretariat, was standing for election. He was invited for the meeting and arrived after a few minutes.
Dr Bonnici asked whether Mr Grech had actually been waiting in a car outside, and the meeting discussed ways to clear Dr Gatt from the scandal.
Mr Pace said he could not remember.
Dr Bonnici and Mr Pace sparred on the credibility of the latter’s recollections of the events of the day of the meeting with the Farrugias, with Dr Farrugia saying he could not believe that Mr Pace was so forgetful.
Mr Pace said that he did not recollect having notified Dr Gatt that he was going to speak to the Farrugias. He said that having known the family for a very long time, it was difficult for him not to meet and discuss with these people. Having only honest intentions, Mr Pace said that he did not consider it unseemly to discuss the matter in view of the fact that Dr Gatt was not contesting the election (in 2013).