It was inevitable that Austin Bencini would join the controversy over the shady BSWC contract (The War Against Corruption, May 19). After all, he is a regular shoe shiner whenever the government (rightly or wrongly) is criticised. But as a professional man, I would have thought he would have been able to "read between the lines" of the Auditor General's report.

Although I am no PL supporter, I am pleased to see that Joseph Muscat will not let the matter drop, for there are a lot of questions that still need to be answered.

When the AG stated in his report that he could not find "hard evidence from all the information acquired" he also pointed to the fact that he could not get all the information he requested, because the main parties in this highly controversial contract either claimed a sudden loss of memory or simply refused to provide documentation.

Now as Dr Bencini is surely aware, the AG was never given any teeth by the government: this means he has no authority to legally compel anyone to give evidence, nor has he the authority to look into bank accounts or ask the police to investigate. Dr Bencini asks: "Is Dr Muscat implying that the AG will come to any different conclusion...?" He might well do, if all the people involved regained their memory, or if the AG had the necessary legal powers.

Dr Bencini ends his article by pointing out that in 1997, both government and opposition agreed to amend the Constitution and the law to provide for a more powerful Auditor General. But it seems not powerful enough, not when the government or the PM himself attacks and rubbishes his reports.

When first appointed (not elected), Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said his government would be transparent in all its dealings. However, that transparency soon evaporated as controversies surrounded ministers.

Perhaps Dr Bencini can give us his insight as to why this happened for his next scintillating missive.