The police have been requested to investigate whether Enemalta's oil procurement process between 2008 and May 2011 involved criminal conduct.

Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi requested the Police Commissioner to investigate issues pertaining to Enemalta’s fuel procurement process based on the conclusions of an Auditor General report on the matter.

In a statement, the minister said the report raised various issues pertaining to the process and stated that:

“The above-discussed implications associated with the systems of poor record-keeping and documentation that characterise and pervade the operations of the FPC prior to May 2011 rendered it impossible for the National Audit Office to effectively audit the decision-making process employed by the committee in adjudicated tender bids received and evaluated.

“The implications of such severe limitations in the availability of records documenting the FPC’s decision-making process are brought to the fore in those instances when the committee awarded tenders to bidders who (based on severely limited information at the NAO’s disposal) did not submit the most favourable offer.”

Since the police investigation into the oil scandal focused on activities undertaken prior to 2008, Dr Mizzi pointed out that the lack of transparency emphasised by the Auditor General in fuel procurement up to May 2011 raised questions as to whether alleged wrong-doings in the process were perpetuated beyond 2008.