[WATCH] Bernard Grech again calls for in-depth inquiry into Electrogas deal ahead of parliamentary scrutiny

A future Nationalist Party government will decide whether to scrap the Electrogas contract after a thorough investigation of the deal, Bernard Grech said.

The PN leader said the Opposition’s call for a public inquiry into the controversial contract was precisely to establish the facts.

He was speaking at a press conference this afternoon, two days before parliament's public accounts committee starts discussing a 2018 National Audit Office report that found shortcomings in the Electrogas tendering process.

“The Auditor General’s report has already shown a number of irregularities, but that is why we are calling for an investigation. We need to know the whole truth before we take decisions,” Grech said when asked whether a PN government would scrap the deal whatever the cost.

The Electrogas contract was for 18 years, which could make Malta liable to penalties if it rescinded the contract. But Grech said if corruption and signs of criminality are revealed after the investigation, the Opposition would take the necessary steps.

A recent request by the Opposition for an independent public inquiry into the Electrogas deal was shot down by the government.

Grech said the Auditor General could come up with conclusions as he had unlimited access to the deal and relevant documents, something which neither the Opposition nor the media had. 

“Large parts of this contract have been hidden. This is disrupting the Opposition’s work in ensuring the people know the full truth,” Grech said.

He also said Prime Minister Robert Abela had a chance to prove that he is not part of the “corrupt clique involved in the contract”, but chose to ignore the chance when he instructed the parliamentary group to vote against the Opposition’s request for a public inquiry into the case. 

Opposition MP Ryan Callus said the public accounts committee will delve into the NAO report and will investigate among other things, former prime minister Joseph Muscat’s visit to Azerbaijan, the €360 million State guarantee to Electrogas, the delay of an €18 million fine and the lack of cost benefit analysis on the project.

PN MP Karol Aquilina said in more than two years since the NAO report was published, new facts have started to emerge, such as Yorgen Fenech’s involvement in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder.

He also said that a number of people involved in the contract must start answering questions. 

“We had former minister Konrad Mizzi who refused to comment in the public inquiry. Now he must come in front of the parliamentary committee and answer the questions put to him,” he said.