€2,000 car Fenech bought off State 'listed on Maltapark for €7,900'

The Honda Estate which Kulhadd reports as being the one owned by Tonio Fenech

The post was then removed

A vehicle which the government had bought for €25,000 and sold to former finance minister Tonio Fenech for €1,900 before the general elections was advertised for sale for €7,900, the Labour Party’s newspaper Kullhadd reported.

On Tuesday, a parliamentary question tabled in parliament by Finance Minister Edward Scicluna showed that the Honda CRV Estate used during Tonio Fenech’s tenure as Cabinet member was purchased by the government in 2004 for €25,401, as a second car, and sold to Fenech for €1,908 in March 2013, just three days before the general election.

And now according to Kullhadd, the Nationalist MP tried to sell the car for a €6,000 profit. The newspaper claims that the sale of the car was advertised on Maltapark for €7,900, only for the advert to be withdrawn after the revelations in parliament.

It also reports that the car was advertised by a user called 'CFEN' – which according to the newspaper corresponds to the name of Fenech’s wife, Claudine.

Fenech has fervently defended his decision to purchase the Honda CRV Estate, insisting that the value of the car was determined by the department in accordance with government procedures.

Every minister is entitled to a second car and others, such as former health minister Joe Cassar, opted for a yearly allowance of €7,000. On the other hand, former minister Austin Gatt’s second car - Peugeot 307 XRS – was bought for €12,845.

“The car was acquired in accordance with government procedures when a Minister terminates office,” Fenech said, adding that the government's policy on depreciation was followed. The value, he added, is determined by the department according to a set policy which takes into account the number of years acquired.

“I could have also opted to change the car after six years but I did not because I felt I shouldn’t put an additional burden on the state,” the Nationalist MP said.

Fenech also said that he had paid the tax on the car along the nine years in the form of fringe benefits. He will ask the Minister to disclose this information.

“Should I have opted to take the allowance rather then the second car, I would have been granted €7,000 per annum which would amount to €63,000 over the nine years,” he insisted.

Repair works on the Honda during this period amounted to €8,293. Fuel expenditure amounted to €6,578 for approximately 5,000 litres of fuel.