The government on Monday will publish the report it had commissioned on irregularities in the VAT Department, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said in Parliament. He said he would go ahead with publication even if he did not receive reactions he had requested from the VAT Department.

The minister was replying to supplementary questions in Parliament.

The minister originally said in a written reply to a question by Labour MP Leo Brincat that "a reply will be given at another sitting".  Mr Brincat asked Mr Speaker to investigate what was happening because Mr Fenech had repeatedly said the report was being concluded, and then it was being scrutinised. Mr Brincat said the fact that the report was being scrutinised meant that it had been concluded.

The first PQ on the subject had been asked by Opposition Whip Joe Mizzi on February 8, 2010 and Mr Fenech had always promised the report "in the next few weeks", Mr Brincat said.

Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat asked how the minister could justify not publishing the report when more than €2 million of public funds had been siphoned off and nobody had yet assumed political responsibility. This reflected  lacked transparency and good governance.

Mr Fenech said the consultants' report had been concluded but he had felt the need to request the VAT Department's reactions. The reactions had not yet been given but he would table the report on Monday,  even if the reactions were not received.