A judge has accepted the request put forward by Frank Sammut, Francis Portelli and Anthony Cassar – three men who have been charged with corruption in the oil-purchase scandal under the previous PN administration – not to testify before a Parliamentary committee due to the ongoing court case.

The three men stand charged with corruption in the Court of Magistrates.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) within Parliament is currently discussing a report penned by the Auditor General regarding the oil scandal, and have called upon the three men to testify before them.

Through their lawyers, chairman of the PAC, Nationalist Party MP Tonio Fenech was informed that they would not be testifying due to the pending court case.

In response, Parliamentary Speaker Anglu Farrugia ruled, in 2014, that the three men did have to testify before the PAC, and that should they be asked anything that could incriminate them, the questioned should be referred back to the Speaker to decide whether the question is permissible or not. As a result of the back and forth, the three men filed a Constitutional Case to decide on the matter.

Mr Justice Joseph Zammit McKeon, presiding over the case, made it clear that Mr Sammut, Mr Cassar and Mr Portelli had the right to remain silent, describing the Speaker’s ruling as a breaching the right to remain silent as well as breaching their right to a fair trial.

A recent judgment was delivered in relation to Tancred Tabone, the former Chairman of Enemalta, who has also been charged with corruption in the same case.

The oil scandal relates to the purchase of fuel for Enemalta using privileged knowledge, alleged bribery both in cash and silver.