The government should give details of Enemed’s so-called cash flow problems and not continue deceiving people through high fuel prices, PN leader Simon Busuttil said yesterday.
Dr Busuttil said it was unacceptable that while the government kept fuel prices well above the EU average, it expected the public to pay for the cash flow problems a company it owned was facing.
“I am rather worried that Enemed, a company set up by the Labour government barely a year ago, already had cash flow problems. What is going on? Why all this secrecy?” Dr Busuttil asked.
The government cited cash flow problems as the main reason why fuel prices had not been lowered further but it did not say what these problems consisted of.
Questions about the matter were raised by The Sunday Times of Malta but the government did not provide any information and, instead, said it would cut prices at petrol service stations again next month.
Enemed, which took over Enemalta’s petroleum division last August, had fully paid capital of €63 million when it was established.
Dr Busuttil commented on the issue during a visit to Qormi as part of the local council elections campaign. He also challenged the Prime Minister to intervene and stop the abuse of a public contract by the GWU.
The union signed a contract with the government with respect to a plot of land in Valletta to build its headquarters, the Workers Memorial Building, on the condition it did not sub-lease any of the premises to third parties.
Dr Busuttil noted that it had been revealed that the GWU, which was paying €800 a year for the land, was receiving €300,000 over five years for the lease of part of the property to ARMS Ltd, a State company.
He branded the abuse scandalous.
In Qormi, he visited a piece of land close to a sports and recreation area which he noted had been passed on to the Malta Sports Council to use for sport facilities.
However, nothing had been done and the land now served as a dumping ground, he added.
Dr Busuttil said that although the Malta Sports Council had no problem finding the money to employ a full-time driver for its part-time chairman (Labour MP Luciano Busuttil), it had no funds to turn the land into a new recreational area for the benefit of Qormi residents.
This, he went on, was an example of the Labour government’s priorities.