Updated | Ministers should 'never interfere' in selection processes - PN

Economy minister Chris Cardona and parliamentary secretary Edward Zammit Lewis must shoulder political responsibility over the interference in the selection process of casino operators, PN deputy leader Mario De Marco said.

Addressing a press conference with opposition MP Kristy Debono, De Marco said that the National Auditor report confirmed the opposition's fears that Cardona and Zammit Lewis interfered in the selection of the legal firm involved in the process and the ranking of bidders.

"The PN believes that no minister should interfere in the selection processes if transparency and good governance are to be upheld," de Marco said.

Without delving into how Cardona and Zammit Lewis should carry political responsibility, de Marco insisted that this should go beyond welcoming the report.

"In the statement issued by government, Cardona completely ignored the report's conclusions that both the minister and the parliamentary secretary were directly involved in the process which created ambiguity," he said.

Cardona and Zammit Lewis came under fire earlier this week from the National Audit Office (NAO), who chastised them for re-ranking legal firms, which bid for a contract to provide legal services for the granting of concessions for the operation of casinos. Moreover, the report highlighted a number of shortcomings such as the failure by the ministry to provide clear guidelines in the abscence of qulaitative criteria, the ministry's failure to inform the Privitiastion Unit why it re-ranked the bidders and the abscence of a signed report by the selection board.

A report by the NAO said, "this re-ranking detracted from the process's overall level of transparency."

"In all democracies, the government's powers are clearly outlined and if any government goes beyond these determined lines, it would not only breach the rules but it will also do a disservice to the people," de Marco said. 

The PN deputy leader added that the NAO's main conclusions highlighted key errors carried out by Cardona and Zammit Lewis, namely the interference in the selection of the legal firm, the removal of experience as one of the necessary criteria and the re-ranking of the firms following the selection board's original decision.

While stressing that he was not "attributing bad motives," to the minister and the parliamentary secretary, de Marco insisted that the least Cardona and Zammit Lewis could do is to "ensure that future selection processes are transparent."

In a reaction, Chris Cardona said that he recognised the shortcomings outlined in the NAO report but pointed out the Auditor's positive comments on the ministry's commitment to improve good governance in the tendering process.

"The ministry's intention was to change the system adopted by the Nationalist government on contracts which tended to be awarded to the same beneficiaries, sometimes just through a mere telephone call," Cardona said.

"For years the NAO reported on various shortcomings in ministries under the Nationalist administration. This governments respects this constitutionally-constituted office and is working on the NAO's recommendations."