PN demands revamp of ‘archaic’ privileges committee

The Opposition has called for changes to the structure of Parliament’s privileges committee.

PN deputy leader Mario de Marco said that potential breaches of MPs’ parliamentary breaches should no longer be investigated by an ‘archaic’ committee in which the government enjoys a majority of three MPs in comparison to the Opposition’s two.

“This MP structure is consistent among all parliamentary committees,” de Marco said.

De Marco was speaking at a press conference in Parliament, where MaltaToday asked fellow MP George Pullicino why he had retracted proceedings in the privileges committee against Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi.

Pullicino said that he did not consider the committee as a proper place through which he could seek justice for Mizzi’s “offensive” claims.

MaltaToday pointed out that the committee structure had been consistent for decades, upon which de Marco made his call.

The case goes back to October, when Mizzi had told Parliament that auditors had found “shameful irregularities” in a €35 million contract for the installation of photovoltaic panels on public buildings, awarded to a Spanish company and Maltese firm Alberta under Pullicino’s ministerial watch before the 2013 general election.

The 25-year contract was awarded to the company at a feed-in tariff of nearly 23c, which Mizzi said was higher than the market price of 16c.

After Mizzi refused to retract his claims, Speaker Anglu Farrugia ruled that he was prima facie in breach of privilege.

Pullicino has challenged Mizzi to repeat his claims outside of Parliament so that be would be able to instigate legal action against him.