Economic Services Minister Chris Cardona yesterday finally named the companies forming the consortium that has won a €356,000 government contract to carry out a technical and feasibility study on creating a digital hub in Gozo.

The consortium, called Gozo Connect, is made up of Camilleri Preziosi Advocates, Beat Consultants, RSM (Malta), Consulting Ltd and E-Cubed Consultants.

When they tried to obtain the information, both this newspaper and Nationalist MPs in Parliament were referred from one department or minister to another.

Towards the end of last month, Times of Malta had found there was no company registered under the name of Gozo Connect with the Malta Financial Services Authority.

It was then told to ask the Commerce Department but the reply came that no assistance could be given because records were based on personal details.

The Department of Contracts, which awarded the tender, said it was not obliged to reveal the information.

Equally circuitous was the Opposition’s attempt to obtain the information. MP Marthese Portelli asked Dr Cardona for it on Monday but he had replied by asking her to put the question to the responsible minister.

When she then asked the Minister of Gozo, he referred her to a reply he gave last week, given to Chris Said (PN) – that he should ask the minister for economic services.

In a clarification today, Dr Cardona said his ministry had nothing to hide.

This, he said, was an important feasibility study to be carried out ahead of the laying of a cable for data traffic and the development of a digital hub for investment by IT based companies in Gozo.

The tender submissions were examined in a transparent manner. All stages were approved by the Contracts Committee.

Two independent members were among the adjudicators.

No appeals were filed after the tender was awarded.

Dr Cardona said he was pleased it would be this government that would carry out this project after the former government only spoke about it.