Updated | Energy thieves must be charged with bribery, say Nationalist MPs

The Opposition is keeping up the pressure on energy minister Konrad Mizzi and Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, calling on them to prosecute Enemalta customers who bribed employees to hack into their smart meters.

Deputy leader for party affairs Beppe Fenech Adami said that government was pursuing those who had stolen energy from Enemalta, and said the PN denied giving any instructions when it was in power, not to take criminal action on energy theft.

"We deny that any PN minister or other authority was aware of these alleged cases and refused to take action," Fenech Adami said. "We neither had favour nor fear for such defaulters."

In a press conference to rebut Konrad Mizzi's allegations made yesterday in Parliament, Fenech Adami said that the government had yet to identify who was responsible for keeping these 665 cases hidden, after former minister Tonio Fenech denied being aware of these investigation files.

"The PN's position on corruption is zero tolerance," he underlined.

Fenech Adami said that according to Konrad Mizzi's own statistics, in the 12 months during his own stewardship of the energy ministery, some officials had received €1.5 million in bribes.

"As Mizzi himself confirmed, one of the persons implicated is his own liaison officer at Enemalta, Louis Attard. It is unacceptable that his name only became public after George Pullicino's intervention," Fenech Adami said.

"How many more people close to ministers and parliamentary secretaries are involved in the energy theft, and who could have bribed Enemalta employees? Honest people are asking whether any energy thieves who had business accounts are affiliated with any Labour members. Honest families want accountability and the rule of law."

On his part, Nationalist MP George Pullicino asked whether the energy minister had confirmed with police whether any of these investigations had been indeed finalised.

Pullicino also turned his attention to former Enemalta chairman Louis Giordimaina, questioning whether he was aware of the 665 files detailing theft.

"This is the biggest scandal so far since public officials have been involved in bribery to tamper smart meters. And this scandal is a result of Muscat's action to put politics before the fight against corruption," Pullicino said.

Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi also insisted that while the electricity rules could waive criminal charges on the theft of energy, customers who had bribed Enemalta employees could not be safeguarded from bribery charges.

"The accomplice bears the same offence as the perpetrator. The law provides for the accomplice to be brought before justice, in contrast with what the government is saying," Azzopardi said, demanding a meticulous investigation at Enemalta in order to ensure accountability and transparency.

Asked whether previous ministers should take political responsibility for what occurred during their time, Fenech Adami remarked that this was not the case since neither Tonio Fenech nor any other member of the Cabinet were aware of what was going on.

Former finance minister Tonio Fenech has already filed a defamation suit against Labour MEP candidate Charlon Gouder who alleged that the MP was aware of some 665 cases of energy theft that were deliberately ignored.