A warrant of prohibitory injunction has been issued by a court against one of the suppliers providing energy saving lamps under a scheme run by the Resources Ministry and the Resources Authority.

The warrant was requested by Etienne Bonello du Puis and Angela Attard, chairman and secretary respectively of the Electrical Importers Association.

They had called on the court to prohibit Electrical Supplies Ltd from further supplying Megaman lamps to shops for use under the scheme, and to stop the Authority and the Ministry from processing payments for vouchers issued for the granting of Megaman lamps.

The association submitted that the company had failed to submit samples to the Malta Resources Authority for its approval in terms of the scheme. The company had also not been given all the necessary approvals by the Authority.

Mr Justice Tonio Mallia said the way the Authority had issued its latest list of bulbs which could be granted under the scheme did not show that everything was done fairly and transparently. The list had been changed from the original after the expiry of the term for the production of samples. It did not appear that this had happened as a result of some mistake, and no satisfactory and convincing explanation had been given.

While such evidence could be produced later in the hearing of a case, unless the warrant was issued, other suppliers would suffer damages, the court said.