The Labour Party today slammed Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil on the state in which the Foundation for Tomorrow's Schools was found back in 2013, with the PL saying that it was €80 million in debt and had millions in unpaid bills.
"The irony is that the PN media are describing the works done at the Handaq school as 'illegal', when this was done when Simon Busuttil was responsible for the PN in government."
Recently, it was reported that Education Minister Evarist Bartolo ordered a contractor to be paid over €400,000 for works on a Handaq school which were not approved by the Foundation for Tomorrow's Schools.
All the schools built by the PN did not have a single cent paid, and everything was done through a 'credit card', the PL claims, "with bills and exorbitant interest rates that must now be faced by this administration."
The education sector back in 2013, the PL said, was overburdened with financial problems. "The University of Malta did not even have enough funds back in March 2013 to pay salaries for the end of the month".
The National Audit Office had many a time remarked on the failures in the Foundation for Tomorrow's Schools under the previous government. This particular case is one which shows the serious failures in the public institution operations under the PN, serious failures dating back to 2005.
"Why did Simon Busuttil leave €80 million in debt without sorting out how it would be paid? Why did he leave unpaid bills amounting to millions for work with was ordered during their time? Who was going to pay the wages of the workers who were ordered to conduct the works?"
"Education Minister Evarist Bartolo has a good relationship with non-partisan journalists, unlike Simon Busuttil who puts the phone to his ear upside-down saying 'hello' and runs as soon as he sees half a question being made".
PN responds
In response, the PN slammed Minister Evarist Bartolo for attacking journalists “who are doing their job uncovering corruption, and insisting that political responsibility is carried.”
“Despite the fact that the €400,000 payment was not meant to be made as it was for work which was not ordered, the minister decided to pay for this illegal work.”
“The PL and the minister are lying and trying to spin the situation, so much so that now even the former Chairman of the Foundation for Tomorrow’s Schools is calling out the lies that the minister is saying. The former Chairman said: ‘How could I commit myself to honour something that was not in line with the government’s procurement rules?… We could never pay for things that were not according to the tender.’”
The PN argued that this meant that the decision for the illegal payment was made by Evarist Bartolo, despite the advice given being not to pay for works which were not ordered.
“Instead of attacking those who are uncovering corruption, Minister Bartolo must say whether he ever met with the owners of Avantgarde Projects Limited, as well as when and why his canvasser Edward Caruana met with the owner soon after the election.”