Defiant Mizzi insists ‘largest corruption scandal’ took place under PN

Konrad Mizzi insists oil scandal largest corruption scandal in Malta's history, after latest PN reference to Panama Papers 

De facto energy minister Konrad Mizzi has responded to the Nationalist Party’s latest reference to the Panama Papers scandal by insisting that the largest corruption scandal in Malta’s history had taken place under a PN administration.

He was referring to the Enemalta oil scandal, that was revealed by MaltaToday in 2013, kick-starting a police investigation. Several people, including former Enemalta chairman Tancred Tabone, are now facing court charges related to bribery in the procurement of fuel.

“It was a Nationalist government that was caught in the largest corruption scandal in Malta’s history, that of people taking commissions off the procurement of heavy fuel oil, that is used by those power stations that pollute the air most,” Mizzi said in a statement. “It was a Nationalist government that recently opened the polluting BWSC power station [in Delimara] and found the contractor to build it from the Yellow Pages. This is the same Opposition that had resisted attempts to install a gas pipeline to Malta because, for obvious reasons, it didn’t want the country’s electricity generation to switch from oil to gas.”

Mizzi was responding to a PN press conference, held earlier today to lambast the recent announcement that fuel prices have increased by 4c. In it, the PN spokespersons frequently referred to the Panama Papers scandal – revelations that Mizzi and OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri own offshore companies in Panama.

“While Mizzi has a secret company in Panama that he opened to deposit money earned from commissions, the Maltese people will now have to pay more money to fill their cars up with fuel,” shadow energy minister Marthese Portelli said.

PN Birzebbugia councilor and election candidate Stanley Zammit recalled a National Audit Office report that revealed how Mizzi had instructed Enemalta to hedge fuel with Azerbaijani state-owned oil company Socar, a deal that saw Enemalta lose around €11 million.

“The deal took place at around the same time as Mizzi and Schembri were opening their secret Panama companies,” Zammit said. “Maltese families and businesses have become victims of corruption and are now paying the price for it.”