Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi called on anybody having information on Thursday’s explosion at Transport Malta to help investigators bring the perpetrator of the “criminal and cowardly” act to justice.
Major Peter Ripard, a traffic consultant, had part of his left leg amputated after the blast and Konrad Pulé, the chief officer of land transport, was slightly injured.
The bomb was dangled by a cord from the bastions lining the Sa Maison pine grove, known as the Pinetum, behind the Transport Malta offices at about 9.55 a.m.
Dr Gonzi said that the incident, and the shooting of businessman Joe Baldacchino in Valletta on November 23, showed criminals were still carrying out such condemnable acts.
Mr Baldacchino remains in hospital suffering from a firearm wound in his back after being attacked by a man on a motorcycle while on his way to the law courts.
Speaking in a recorded interview on Radio 101, Dr Gonzi said he had instructed the police to keep investigating the bombing and he was confident the criminal would be brought to justice.
He had visited Maj. Ripard in hospital and described him as a committed man who was proud of his country. He had also spoken to Mr Pulé about the importance of carrying out one’s duty in all circumstances.
During the radio interview, Dr Gonzi touched on a range of subjects including the ongoing reform at Air Malta. He said the steering committee overseeing the national airline’s restructuring had met for the second time but it was still early to have a strategy because the group still had to establish the criteria on which to base the reform.
The government has until May 15 to finalise a restructuring exercise, one of the conditions attached to the European Commission’s approval earlier this month of €52 million in emergency aid to the national air carrier.
Dr Gonzi referred to the ongoing scrutiny of the Delimara power station extension contract by Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee. He referred to the opposition’s insistent allegations there were irregularities in the allocation of the contract despite the fact that the Auditor General had found no evidence of corruption.
The European Commission had closed infringement proceedings against Malta initiated on the basis of Labour Party allegations that there had been a breach of EU procedures in adjudicating the contract. The PL claimed the government had abusively changed emission laws to favour the preferred bidder, Dr Gonzi said.
The €210 million Delimara extension contract, awarded to Danish company BWSC, has been a source of a never-ending controversy. The saga took an unexpected twist when Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt told the PAC Labour leader Joseph Muscat had links with Bateman, an Israeli company that was one of the bidders for the contract. Labour has denied the claims.
Dr Gonzi said he was “surprised and scandalised at how the Leader of the Opposition had contacts with a company that lost the tender... the company that placed last among the three bidders, yet he was lobbying so the last bidder wins,” Dr Gonzi said.
Dr Muscat said in a statement yesterday it was Dr Gonzi who had a lot of explaining to do. He said Żaren Vassallo, the main subcontractor of BWSC, was a financial contributor to the PN.
Dr Muscat challenged Dr Gonzi to speak clearly if he had any allegations to make against him so he could take legal action.