Kasco Ltd, owned by Keith Schembri, was last year awarded a tender worth €85,000 to supply Enemalta with photocopy paper for two years.

At the time, the State energy company was under the political wing of Minister without Portfolio, Konrad Mizzi, who then was responsible for health and energy.

Asked whether it was normal for the government-controlled energy provider to buy such large amounts of paper, a spokesman for Enemalta said it was “normal”.

“The indicated framework agreement was reached following a call for tenders issued by Enemalta through the Department of Contracts, in line with applicable procurement procedures,” the spokesman said.

Apart from Mr Schembri’s company there were four other bidders. However, Kasco had the cheapest offer.

“Five suppliers submitted bids to provide Enemalta with the indicated paper requirements,” the spokesman said. “Each bid was reviewed by the evaluation committee and the selected offer was the cheapest one submitted. The same supplier [Kasco Ltd] has been supplying the entity with paper, through competitive procedures, since at least 2009,” Enemalta said.

The same supplier [Kasco Ltd] has been supplying the entity with paper, through competitive procedures, since at least 2009

Dr Mizzi lost his health and energy portfolios in a Cabinet reshuffle in April in the wake of the Panama Papers, which showed that both Dr Mizzi and Mr Schembri, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, had opened ‘secret’ companies in Panama. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said he would not be taking any action against Mr Schembri, whom he trusted.

Enemalta now falls under Dr Muscat.

A few weeks ago, the Times of Malta reported that Mr Schembri’s company won seven government contracts between 2004 and 2011 and another six between 2013 and last year, for a total value of over €362,000, to supply paper to the government printing press.

Mr Schembri said that, despite being appointed as the Prime Minister’s most trusted aide in 2013, he did not feel he had a conflict of interest even though his company submitted offers to public companies and departments falling under the Office of the Prime Minister’s political control.

Mr Schembri resigned all directorships of his companies soon after Labour was swept into power. However, he still controls 99 per cent of their shareholding.

ivan.camilleri@timesofmalta.com