The former Resources Ministry headed by George Pullicino was the sole entity responsible for awarding a controversial €35 million PV panels contract, letters published by the government purport to show.

"Shameful irregularities" in the contract awarded under the previous administration were revealed by Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi in October, during the Enemalta debate. Mr Mizzi had revealed that the feed-in tariff for energy produced by PV panels installed on public buildings was too high. He also produced an unsigned bank document, stating that one of the Alberta consortium members - Spanish company Solarig - had the necessary liquidity.

Mr Pullicino had insisted that he was not involved in the tender award, and claimed that the Malta Resources Authority and the Finance Ministry were responsible. But the Energy Minister had revealed another document showing that Alberta was chosen by the Resources Ministry and Mr Pullicino had personally delivered the letter of intent to the company.

During a debate on Xarabank yesterday evening, Mr Mizzi revealed other documents, which seem to show that the Department of Contracts and the MRA had nothing to do with the €35 million contract.

The Contracts Department said it had "absolutely no involvement" in the Expression of Interest process and a very limited role in the Tender process. It added that the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs was solely responsible. The Department's Director General, Anthony Cachia said: "The Department of Contracts was not involved in the issuing, evaluation, adjudication, clarifications and short listing of the bidders in the Expression of Interest process."

Cachia also noted that the MRRA had "classified the contract as a Public Service Concession, hence outside the Public Contracts Regulations.

The letter also said that Chris Ciantar, then Perm Sec at the Resources Ministry, had requested the contracts department "to delegate him for the signing of the Letter of Intent" which he duly issued. 

In replies to comments made by Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi last month, permanent secretary at the Resources Ministry, Engineer Chris Ciantar on 24 October said that the adjudicating committee that was set up shortlisted the 15 bidders to 3 based on a number of pre-defined criteria that were public and transparent. “The recommendations of the committee were approved by the Department of Contracts (DOC).  Following this, the DOC issued a tender and the process was governed by it and not the MRRA. Given that the tender was innovative, of significant risk to the investor and (as one potential bidder put it) too onerous in favour of government, only one offer was received by the closing date. The offer was received by the DOC and was adjudicated by a team of experts from university, MRRA and retired government officials. All members of the adjudication committee were pre-approved by the Department of Contracts. All documents received were scrutinised from a legal, administrative and technical perspective”. 

 

“When the evaluation process was complete and a recommendation to DOC was made and accepted, I signed a 'letter of intent' to the preferred and only bidder as per tender conditions and with the approval of the DOC. The letter of intent is not a contract in itself”, Chris Ciantar had said. "Each and every step along this tendering process was in close liaison with the Contracts Department and in no instance following the issuance of the letter of intent did the DOC notify me of any irregularity". 

A second letter, signed by MRA CEO Anthony Rizzo, shows that the authority did not decide on the feed-in tariff but it was based on Mr Ciantar's presentation.
Mr Pullicino said earlier this week that he has not yet been contacted by the Police after he asked the police commissioner to investigate Konrad Mizzi's accusations.

The letter published by the Energy Ministry yesterday. 

Pullicino denies involvement in selection proces

But in a statement issued this afternoon, Mr Pullicino insisted that he had nothing to do with the selection process. “Konrad Mizzi, with the full support of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, has continued to lie. The content of the letters published by the Minister yesterday is nothing new – it was already said in a press release by Mr Ciantar last week.”

The former minister insisted that, contrary to what is happening today, he was never involved in a selection process. “This is yet another lie coming from Muscat’s government.”