[WATCH] Busuttil coy on who proposed power plant to PN

Busuttil coy on who proposed power plant to PN

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil today refused to name the people who proposed a new power plant to the previous PN administration.

On Tuesday, Busuttil forwarded a copy of a proposal for the construction of a LNG power station that the previous PN administration had received and rejected to the Auditor General.

“The offer made to the PN is the exact same one that energy minister Konrad Mizzi ultimately presented in the government’s electoral manifest, showing that the agreement was made before the general election,” he said, stressing that this showed the depth of the government’s corruption.

Busuttil added that the proposal also showed that the government’s call for expressions of interest for the project was “bogus”, as the government had already made its choice by that time.

“This further proves that the current government was corrupt from the offset,” he said.

MaltaToday is informed that the proposal to the PN administration was put forward before 2010. However, when quizzed by MaltaToday, the PN leader refused to say when the proposal was made.

He added that following the revelations made in the Panama Papers leak, everything the government and in particular Mizzi had done became subject to suspicion.

Busuttil also encouraged the police to investigate all the contracts and decisions taken by Mizzi in light of recent events.

Busuttil has said that he will provide further information to the NAO in its ongoing investigation into contracts signed by the government with the Electrogas consortium for the construction of the Delimara power plant and a €360 million state guarantee to the consortium.

“The documents clearly show that the proposal was very similar to the one that was proposed to the Labour Party during its electoral campaign,” Busuttil wrote to auditor general Charles Deguara on Tuesday.

He said that similarities include the involvement of GEM Holdings and Gasol – the former a shareholder in Electrogas and the latter who was struck off the consortium last July.

Busuttil added that the PN had received the proposals when it already had ulterior plans for the energy sector and for reducing electricity bills, including the interconnector with Sicily and the BWSC power station.

Busuttil highlights PN’s commitment to the financial services industry

Busuttil was commenting after a visit at the offices of Deloitte, where he met some the employees and had a private discussion with the managers of the company.

“The sector is crucial to Malta, and it is translating into thousands of jobs,” he said adding that the sector was facing stiff competition from other countries as well as issues arising from within. He added that countries throughout Europe were currently changing rules and regulations governing the sector.

Busuttil said that the revelations made about Mizzi and OPM’s chief of staff Keith Schembri was also weakening the sector and damaging the reputation of the sector on an international level

“I urge the government to make the right choice as soon as possible,” he added.