Outgoing Speaker Louis Galea told the staff of the National Audit-Office today not to be concerned or influenced by the controversy which their work could raise.

He made his comment during a farewell call on the Auditor-General, Anthony Mifsud, in Floriana. The Auditor-General is an officer of Parliament.

Dr Galea will step down from his post tomorrow and will next month become a member of the EU's Court of Auditors.

Dr Galea said that mistakes and wrongdoing happened all over the world, and it was important for Maltese society and investors to have a strong audit function.

The Auditor-General referred to his recent report on the power station extension contract and said he had been told it was the most complex and extensive exercise ever handled by the Office.

He said that his experience in his 18 months in office was that both the government and the opposition respected the independence of the Office.