Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has denied being involved in the negotiations to buy back Café Premier’s 65-year lease for €4.2 million.
In comments yesterday, Dr Muscat admitted that he gave the go-ahead to the people concerned after negotiations were concluded but he never involved himself in the negotiation process itself.
“I have nothing to hide and there is no doubt that it has been proven that I had nothing to do with the negotiations – the Auditor General himself said it and moreover he has never, at any point, said I was involved in any negotiations.”
However, the investigation by the National Audit Office reveals that the Prime Minister’s adviser John Sciberras, who conducted the negotiations, was taking Dr Muscat’s direct advice throughout the negotiation process.
Its investigation also revealed Dr Muscat had initiated talks with Café Premier co-owner Mario Camilleri and instructed his close collaborators on how to proceed, which included the amount offered to buy back the government property.
It has been proven that I had nothing to do with the negotiations
Noting it was Dr Muscat who gave the green light on how the Government Property Department architect was to carry out the property valuation, the NAO said the department was kept totally in the dark. Mr Sciberras even admitted that, contrary to procedures, he did not inform his superiors about Dr Muscat’s assignment on Café Premier.
Meanwhile, Dr Muscat said that former land commissioner Joe Bugeja had a full nine months to flag the issue – and failed to do so.
He was reacting to comments Mr Bugeja gave Times of Malta, where he revealed that one of the reasons which prompted him to step down last September was because of the controversial deal.
He said his department was never consulted on the deal, which reached him as a fait accompli, and he only signed the contract because he was told to do so.
“No one forced Mr Bugeja to sign. As a regulator, if he was not comfortable with something, he shouldn’t have signed it or he should have resigned there and then and given the reason why.”
Mr Bugeja handed in his resignation nine months after the signing of the contract.
He added that he had never met Mr Bugeja and that the former land commissioner had never requested a meeting with him on the Café Premier or regarding any other case.
Mr Bugeja had also never mentioned the case neither to then planning parliamentary secretary, Michael Farrugia, nor to his successor Michael Falzon.
In a statement, the government said it would not have been surprised had Mr Bugeja decided to resign in the wake of the Fekruna scandal and other dossiers currently under scrutiny, and which happened under his watch during the previous administration.
Reacting, the PN said it was shocking that Dr Muscat was attacking Mr Bugeja because he divulged the real reason which led to his resignation.
“It is clear that Dr Muscat has no words to defend his involvement and, instead of admitting that he erred, he burst into a hysterical attack defending his own scandalous behaviour.
Dr Muscat, the PN continued, once again lied when he said he was not involved in the negotiations.
According to the Auditor General’s report, he was so directly involved that he was the one to propose the financial offer and he also met Mr Camilleri before and after the general election.
Dr Muscat cannot keep eschewing political responsibility and it was time for him to shoulder it, the PN said.