Farrugia’s wife gift to minister’s spouse ‘had no value’ – Fenech

Former Nationalist minister Tonio Fenech refuted suggestions that the gift of a Maltese clock from the wife of a businessman, was valued at some €5,000.

Fenech was testifying in a criminal libel suit against Labour ministers Evarist Bartolo and Chris Cardona, over claims they made in the 2013 elections.

According to oil trader George Farrugia, who turned State’s evidence in the criminal investigations on bribery in the procurement of fuel for Enemalta, he had gifted Fenech with a Maltese ‘tal-lira’ clock valued at some €5,000.

But Fenech contested the claim in court, saying that it was his wife who had been gifted the clock, and that the clock was certainly not valued at that price.

“It was the wife of Farrugia’s brother Ray [CEO of the John’s Group], who gave my wife the clock. I didn’t even know they were coming to my house with the gift. My wife had been talking to her about her clock-making hobby at a party, and a few weeks later they came unannounced with the gift,” Fenech told the court.

Fenech also insisted that the clock was of no particular value that should have prompted him to declare it as he was bound by the ministerial code of ethics.

“The Code specifies that the gift must be able to affect a decision I take but in this case the gift was from Ray Farrugia’s wife to my wife, and no decision I had taken at the time concerned George Farrugia’s business.”

He was then asked by defence lawyer Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi whether the Code specifies that the spousal gifts be also included.

“Yes it does, but the gift had to have a specific value. Even the police saw the clock and noted that it had no value.”