PN claims people footing the bill for corruption through high fuel prices

Shadow energy minister Marthese Portelli accused the government of forcing the people to “pay for corruption out of their own pockets” by keeping fuel prices at a high price.

She was speaking at a press conference outside Joe Gaffarena’s petrol station, that was controversially allowed to re-open in 2014 after it had been forcefully shut down five years earlier after its owner illegally built new structures on site.

“Although the market price of [crude] oil is at its lowest ever level, at some $25 a barrel, fuel prices in Malta are amongst the most expensive in Europe.

“Rather than reducing fuel prices for the benefit of consumers, the Prime Minister has chosen to keep them high and claim that he is keeping them stable.”

She recounted how the Auditor General had found that energy minister Konrad Mizzi had given a ministerial direction to Enemalta to hedge fuel purchases with state-owned Azeri company SOCAR – a deal that cost Enemalta around €14 million.

“That is a clear and concrete example on how Maltese households and businesses are being made to pay for the Labour government’s corruption,” Portelli claimed.

St Paul’s Bay mayor Graziella Galea – a PN election candidate – harked back to 2003, when crude oil was at a similar level.

“Back then, diesel cost 61c per litre and petrol cost 83c. Diesel now costs €1.22 per litre and petrol €1.32. This means that people are being robbed 61c for every litre of disel they purchase and 49c for every litre of petrol.”