Updated: PL accuses PM of irresponsibility -

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said this afternoon that he had not seen the power station extension contract before it was signed.

Replying to questions at a press conference on the government's work in the past two years, Dr Gonzi said in reaction to Opposition comments that the contract could not be published because it was commercially sensitive.

Dr Gonzi said the contract had been analysed by Enemalta's lawyers prior to it being signed.

The Auditor-General had been able to see it as part of his recently-concluded inquiry.

Dr Gonzi said the government respected the auditor's findings and would implement the recommendations he had made.

However he insisted that had the governemnt opted for the bidder which the Opposition seemed to be backing, bills for the people would have been 30% higher, Dr Gonzi said.

The government's credibility, he added, would only be lost if the country was not supplied with the electricity it needed.

PL ACCUSES PM OF IRRESPONSIBILITY

The Labour Party said that the fact that the Prime Minister had not personally seen the most important contract signed to date by his administration reflected irresponsibility.

The €200 million contract was signed almost two weeks after the first allegations were made about irregularities, the PL observed.

A responsible prime minster would have acted promptly to stop the contract from being signed until the allegations were investigated, the PL said.

It observed that in contrast, the prime minister had twice personally called on architect Renzo Piano to discuss the building of a new parliament house,