Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi said today that his ministry will call in the police if more oil procurement suspicions surface.
Speaking at a press conference, he insisted that Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil should shoulder responsibility for wrongdoing by the former administration in oil procurement.
Reacting to a report by the Auditor General about oil procurement practices between 2008 and 2010, the minister said the report was 'very damning and critical' of what had happened.
Dr Mizzi noted that the Auditor had said he had not had access to all documents and could not verify all purchases. The ministry, he said, had invited the auditor for a meeting to discuss the findings.
If it resulted that more irregularities could have taken place, the ministry would call in the police.
Dr Mizzi noted that the report had revealed ministerial interference, with a minister having sent an e-mail on the price at which oil should be purchased.
In 2009, he said, there had been hedging losses of $65 million. In 2010 there were further losses of $4 million in view of the 'very amateurish' way how things were done.
Dr Mizzi said Enemalta would organise a workshop to ensure that all of the auditor's recommendations were implemented.
He said the present government had already introduced new procurement controls, including the appointment of former PN minister Michael Falzon as an independent observer on the Oil Procurement Committee.
Enemalta was also encouraging more companies to bid for oil procurement tenders. As a result, the latest oil procurement contract was awarded to Shell, with a saving for Malta of $800,000 on the premium.
In April the government also set up an internal audit unit reporting directly to the Enemalta board.
Replying to questions, Dr Mizzi said that were he Tonio Fenech, the minister responsible for Enemalta, he would resign on the strength of this report.