The government is trying to deflect attention from the scandal it created by deciding not to proceed criminally against 1,000 consumers who are involved in bribing Enemalta Corporation officers to steal electricity, according to the Nationalist Party.
At a press conference held this afternoon, MP George Pullicino said that the announcement of the discovery of 655 files on electricity theft which were allegedly being kept hidden at Enemalta were an attempt to distract the public from the government’s scandalous decision.
The press conference was also addressed by PN deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami and MP Jason Azzopardi, although MP Tonio Fenech – who had been the minister responsible for Enemalta, and who has been the main target of Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi’s criticism in past days – was absent.
Dr Fenech Adami stressed that the party categorically denied that the previous government knew about the files uncovered by Dr Mizzi on Tuesday, and also denied that it was aware of any attempt at concealing such files.
He said that the party’s position was that proper investigations should be carried out into such cases without fear or favour, and that all those involved had to assume responsibility for their crimes if the allegations are proven.
The party deputy leader also insisted that the government was trying to confound matters in a bid to justify its decision to “pardon” the thousand-odd people who, it claims, it knows have bribed Enemalta officials to obtain rigged smart meters.
Both Dr Fenech Adami and Dr Azzopardi stressed that the 2006 legal notice the government referred to in a bid to justify its actions covered solely the theft of electricity, and that it did not apply in this case since bribery was also involved.
The two MPs also dismissed the government’s argument that those who obtained rigged smart meters were “small fish”, with Dr Fenech Adami pointing out that a thousand customers who stole an average of €30,000 of electricity a year could certainly not be described as small fry.
He also insisted that the party, along with honest citizens, demanded to know who those involved in corruption are, as well as whether any of the people involved are close to the party or to any minister or parliamentary secretary, or whether any businesses involved were prominent Labour Party donors.
The other two MPs, meanwhile, both castigated the government for making political calculations even when it came to fighting against corruption.
Dr Azzopardi stressed that those who bribed political officials were as criminally responsible as those who received the bribes, and also pointed out that all the cases mentioned – including the allegedly hidden files – were not covered by prescription. He pointed out that in these cases, a prescription period of 10 years applied – and that this period may not have even started if the crime of electricity theft is continuous and ongoing.
The three MPs were also critical of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s assertion that the government did not want to send hundreds of families to prison, with Dr Fenech Adami pointing out that prison was not meant for families, but for those found guilty of committing certain crimes.
Dr Azzopardi questioned whether Dr Muscat believed that he had the power to decide who went to court, and what penalty was applicable.
He also questioned the government’s insistence that if those involved in the theft of electricity are arraigned, civil proceedings would have to be initiated to recover the illegal savings on their electricity bill, pointing out that in theft and fraud cases, the court could order the guilty party to repay the stolen amount within a maximum of six months.