Government riddled with corruption, Falzon’s resignation ‘inevitable’ – Busuttil

Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil has this morning chided the government’s corruption record, arguing that in just over two years, Joseph Muscat had created the most corrupt government since the times of Dom Mintoff.

In an interview on Radio 101, Busuttil called on the Auditor General to investigate the pulling out of Gasol from the consortium entrusted with building the Delimara power station, and in a passionate plea, the PN leader also insisted that Michael Falzon’s resignation is “inevitable.”

“I cannot understand how he has not packed his things and why he is still refusing to resign. It is an inevitable decision. Every week, he sinks further in more of his own mud. He was clearly involved in the Gaffarena scandal, and he is still refusing to shoulder responsibility … his days are numbered,” he said.

“In only two years, the Muscat government had become the most corrupt government since the times of Dom Mintoff and Lorry Sant. Muscat has dragged us down to that level again and just imagine what they can do in another three years and God forbid, another five on top of that,” Busuttil

The Opposition Leader argued that today’s newspaper headlines highlighted the weight of the scandals that have besieged the government. He argued that the front page of MaltaToday showed the cosy links between the Gaffarena family and Daniel Zammit – the son of former police commissioner Ray Zammit whose son Daniel was boarded out of the police force and then given a €60,000 with Enemalta.

Similarly, he said, the Sunday Times showed that Michael Falzon was negotiating a 65-year lease for House of the Four Winds for BOV, while at the same time negotiating his early retirement package, all the while, negotiating his own €260,000 early retirement package from Bank of Valletta.

Turning his attention on the new Delimara power station, the Opposition leader echoed the calls by Labour MP Marlene Farrugia for the Auditor General to investigate the departure of Gasol

On Friday, Gasol, the major shareholder of the ElectroGas consortium selected to build the Delimara gas plant, pulled out from the consortium due to financial difficulties. The three remaining partners – Siemens Financial Services, Socar Trading SA, and GEM Holdings Limited – are now equal shareholders, with Siemens the new lead member.

Notwithstanding the new composition of the consortium, the government has insisted that the project was still on track, and in an attempt to claw back its dented credibility, the Labour Party said that ‘intelligent people’ still have faith in energy plan. But whereas the Labour Party was inevitably upbeat and positive, Simon Busuttil has insisted that the recent events highlight the government’s “amateurism.”

“The power station was Labour’s main electoral pledge, but after two years in government, the power station is yet to be built. The Labour Party decided who would build it, only for it to subsequently panic that it acted as a guarantor for an €88 million loan,” he said.

Busuttil also insisted that pulling out of Gasol from the consortium entrusted with the Delimara-has-powered power station project highlighted the government’s amateurism. The Opposition leader also raised questions of the due diligence conducted before the power station was awarded, and questioned the legality of the change of composition of ElectroGas.

“In any case, whenever the main company or an y company is removed or retired, the tender should be dropped because the conditions have changed,” he said. Busuttil argued that notwithstanding the doubts, the government remained idle and acting like it is nothing.