Updated 1.09 p.m.

The government said today that it was in favour of having meetings of the Public Accounts Committee during the summer to discuss the Auditor-General's report on oil procurement.

The statement followed a declaration in the Times of Malta by Opposition leader Simon Busuttil who called for such a debate.

The government said that, if needed, a debate about the 'scandals' should also be held in Parliament once it convened after the summer recess.

It said it was surprised that Dr Busuttil had asked the government for the debate within the committee when he could have sought the meeting himself once the committee is chaired by an Opposition MP.

In his comments, Dr Busuttil said he wanted the Public Accounts Committee to discuss the findings of an oil procurement audit, even during the summer recess.

Dr Busuttil said the PN wanted the truth to be publicly discussed.

[attach id=270838 size="medium"]Opposition leader Simon Busuttil.[/attach]

“This is why we want the National Audit Office report to be discussed in the Public Accounts Committee in Parliament. And we are prepared to do this immediately, even during the summer recess,” he said.

“So far, the Prime Minister has remained evasive on whether to discuss the NAO report in the Public Accounts Committee. In contrast, my position is clear. Call it now,” he said.

Dr Busuttil insisted that if the Government was “serious”, it should agree to convene the committee immediately.

PN statement

In a statement this afternoon, the PN said it had written to PAC chairman Tonio Fenech seeking the debate. It proposed that the PAC should first meet on August 13 to discuss procedures and a list of people to be questioned.

The PN insisted that it never shirked from debating this issue.  The PN government had also ensured that all allegations were fully investigated.

‘Rule of fairness’

Former minister Austin Gatt, who had been responsible for Enemalta, has so far refused to reply to questions by journalists about the damning audit report that covered a period after 2008 when the energy company was under his remit.

Addressing this issue, Dr Busuttil reiterated that he was not in a position to oblige Dr Gatt to reply to the media because he was no longer an active PN member. However, Dr Busuttil insisted he would have replied to the media.

He also expressed concern that the Auditor General did not contact Dr Gatt and the former Enemalta chairman for their version of events before completing the report.

“It is a basic rule of fairness and due process that any authority that is reporting on the actions of people in positions of authority should approach the people concerned before reaching its conclusions,” Dr Busuttil said.