The documents I handed out to the media at the press conference on March 26 concerning the nine-year-long Marsa stench not only included a petition signed by HSBC employees, who occupied the premises at the time, but also some strongly-worded letters addressed to government ministers by senior officials of HSBC itself.

Not only were serious complaints lodged formally by the bank’s health, safety and security manager about these “potentially health-affecting odours” (January 16, 2002) but in a letter by the bank’s head of operations dated June 21, 2002, to then Parliamentary Secretary George Pullicino, the bank conveyed its deep frustration that efforts to receive a copy of air monitoring tests had proved difficult.

So much so that although the test results for 2000 and 2001 were released only following ministerial intervention, the bank was informed that the results of tests carried out during March 2002 – three months earlier – were not yet available.

This shows that from the very beginning there was unexplainable foot-dragging in allaying the fears of the staff and to take appropriate measures to safeguard their health and well-being.

Unfortunately this attitude continued to prevail even in recent times.

It is interesting to note that Mepa’s director for environmental protection had informed HSBC, in a letter dated March 14, 2003, that these were merely inconveniences.

Despite such ‘reassurance’, the bank had repeatedly sought confirmation whether these odours were just an inconvenience or a real health hazard.

It is ironic that the same person who gave such reassurance nine years ago is currently co-ordinating government’s efforts to solve this problem even though he is now responsible for corporate affairs rather than environmental protection.