Fenech demands Henley contract publication before elections

PAC chairman Tonio Fenech has called an urgent meeting of the public accounts committee, to discuss the next steps for the committee to discuss the contract between the government and IIP concessionaires Henley & Partners.

Henley are the main concessionaires for Malta’s sale of citizenship programme.

The contract for the concessionaires has so far never been made public.

“The PN will insist that the entire contract is published so that the PAC can carry out the necessary scrutiny. Monday’s ruling means government has nothing more to hide.”

Speaker of the House Anglu Farrugia on Monday ruled that the parliamentary public accounts committee was empowered to demand that the contract be presented in committee. The ruling was requested by the PAC chairman Tonio Fenech.

“It is not acceptable that government delays the publication of this contract,” Tonio Fenech said. “If it ahs nothing to hide, the government should publish the Henley contract now and not wait until the election passes on Saturday.”

Fenech also said the party expected an apology from the Prime Minister after reiterating claims by justice minister Owen Bonnici that the contract could not be published because it had been presented in a court case.

Speaker Anglu Farrugia on Monday confirmed that parliament was sovereign and could discuss anything in the national interest, apart from not being subject to what is heard in the courts. Standing Orders empowered the committee to request the production of witnesses and documents to assist in its deliberations.

In a statement issued by the Office of the Prime Minister on Monday, the government said it will be publishing all information after the Public Accounts Committee puts forward its request. The information will exclude commercially sensitive information.

“The Prime Minister has already committed himself that the contract will be up for scrutiny,” the OPM said. It added that the Speaker’s ruling confirmed that it was the PAC – and not an individual member – who could call for the publication of the contract.

“When the time comes for it to be discussed and after the PAC makes the request, the government will be publishing all information, excluding commercially sensitive information, ” the OPM said.

After the Speaker read his ruling on Monday, Tonio Fenech raised a breach of privilege complaint against Justice Minister Owen Bonnici, saying he had deliberately misled the committee by claiming that a court had issued a decree banning publication of the Henley contract.
Bonnici said he had never intended to mislead the committee, claiming that there was a court decree saying that the documents presented were restricted to the parties of the case – documents he said the PAC was sure to need in its debate.

Fenech later accepted Bonnici's declaration that he had not intended to mislead, regretting however that four days had passed since his claims. Fenech then withdrew his privilege complaint.