Work on two residential roads in Mosta which came to an abrupt halt in May due to a government-ordered inquiry has been aborted due to a lack of funds, according to the town’s mayor.

I now hope that I am soon paid for the work I carried out on these roads

Shirley Farrugia said the council had invested €6,000 in emergency patching works to prevent accidents, rendering the roads safe, and now these were placed on a long list of roads requiring upgrading.

She said the council had no money to complete work on the two roads but had gone out of its way to ensure they were safe.

In May, the government ordered an inquiry into the contract for the resurfacing of Triq Id-Dawr and Triq l-Istrinġell, awarded to V&C Contractors in December.

It transpired that the works order the contractor had received was only signed by then mayor Paul Chetcuti Caruana, when it should have been signed by two officials. The inquiry concluded that Dr Chetcuti Caruana had failed to follow acceptable legal and administrative procedures while acting executive secretary Philip Borg failed to offer the right guidelines to the mayor.

The Attorney General and Police Commissioner have been asked to look into the findings of the inquiry.

According to the inquiry report, the cost of the project ranged between €187,000 and €330,000. The project was being supervised by the council’s architect, Labour MP Charles Buhagiar.

Vince Borg, the co-owner of V&C Contractors Limited, said yesterday that the inquiry showed all his papers were in order and that he had started work on the two roads in question following the receipt of a works order sent on an official Mosta council letterhead.

The inquiry recommended that the contractor be paid for the work he had carried out before he was ordered to stop.

Mr Borg said the work carried out in Triq id-Dawr – including new pavements and water, electricity and sewage services – amounted to €65,000, while €8,000 was spent on work in Triq l-Istrinġell.

“The inquiry found I did nothing wrong, as I had no doubt it would, and that I had an order given to me by the former mayor. I now hope that I am soon paid for the work I carried out on these roads,” he said.

While expressing solidarity with the residents, he said he was not responsible for the inconvenience.