Embattled PBS chief executive John Bundy yesterday denied any wrongdoing in a suspicious €500,000 car deal, insisting he had “nothing to hide”.
“Everything I have done, I have done for the good of the company and with a clear conscience,” Mr Bundy said.
The audit was ordered after the PBS board of directors last month informed the government it had lost confidence in Mr Bundy.
When contacted, the ex-Labour Party media personality insisted he had not seen the final report but had a clear conscience.
The main issue of contention is that Mr Bundy allegedly entered into the eight-year lease agreement with Burmarrad Commercials without issuing a public tender despite repeated warnings that this went against the rules.
The lease deal for 14 vehicles includes Mr Bundy’s own car.
Asked about the deal, Mr Bundy declined to say why he had not issued a public tender saying he preferred not to comment on that detail.
He did, however, say the deal had been reached following meetings with Burmarrad Commercials and the PBS financial controller Brian Galea.
The Sunday Times of Malta published excerpts of a sworn affidavit made by Mr Galea who insists he had warned Mr Bundy not to go-ahead with the deal without issuing a public call.
Mr Bundy noted Mr Galea had been involved in the negotiations on the deal “from day one”.
In his affidavit, Mr Galea says Mr Bundy had claimed to have been given the green light for negotiations by Charmaine Portelli at the Justice Ministry. A separate sworn statement by the PBS corporate services manager Edmund Tabone also backs this up. Mr Bundy, however, denied this as well.
Ms Portelli yesterday declined to comment when contacted, saying she would wait until she had the facts in hand. She has since left the Justice Ministry where she worked on procurement and is now at the Tourism Ministry.
Conducted by local auditors RSM, the audit report is set to be handed over to the PBS board of directors at a meeting tomorrow.
The ultimate decision of what to do with Mr Bundy, however, rests with Justice Minister Owen Bonnici who appointed him in the first place. Questions sent to Dr Bonnici remain unanswered, however ministry sources said that if the audit found Mr Bundy had broken with regulations “he will have to shoulder responsibility”.
The audit report also claims that Mr Bundy “consistently bullies senior management”, something Mr Bundy strongly denies.
“This is what hurts the most. Even the word ‘bully’ rubs me the wrong way. I’m disgusted that someone would say something like that about me. I am proud to be the man that I am,” he said.