Opposition Leader Adrian Delia in Parliament behaved like the police commissioner who continued to eat rabbit while the scene of the crime was being tampered with, Partit Demokratiku leader Godfrey Farrugia said today.
In spite of the 200 million reasons why Konrad Mizzi should not be a Minister, Delia chose to take no action against Konrad Mizzi and bring him to account in Parliament - the highest institution of the Republic, Farrugia said in a press conference.
On Wednesday, Delia said there are 200 million reasons why Mizzi should resign, after it was revealed in a National Audit Office report that Malta was spending €200 million more per year on energy than it would have if it had invested in an interconnector with Sicily. This report found that the Maltese people are paying around an extra €200 million per year for a contract negotiated by Konrad Mizzi and his friend Keith Schembri with a consortium chosen by a committee led by Brian Tonna of Nexia BT - the personal accountant of Mizzi and Schembri.
The decision of Partit Nazzjonalista to drop the motion of no confidence against Konrad Mizzi a few minutes after the Auditor General’s report on the Delimara gas-fired power station project was tabled in Parliament is baffling, Farrugia said.
The Auditor General’s report continues to cast serious doubts about the transparency and integrity of the process for the construction and operation of the gas-fired power station project in Delimara.
PD concluded that the NAO is clear in its assessment: Minister Konrad Mizzi is incompetent at the very least. It is therefore striking that the Opposition Leader decided against taking action to remove Konrad Mizzi from Cabinet by means of a motion of no confidence.
“We have been calling for Konrad Mizzi’s resignation for a long time - even before Adrian Delia dreamt of entering politics. Our call however has always fallen on deaf ears. This is why we need to take action in Parliament,” Farrugia said.
The Auditor General’s report comes in the wake of the revelations that 17 Black is owned by Yorgen Fenech, the CEO of Tumas Group, one of the members of the Electrogas consortium that finally won the tender of the project following a process which the Auditor General flagged for ‘possible distortion’.
Three questions addressed to Delia and the Nationalist Party
The PD directed three questions towards Adrian Delia and the Nationalist Party, questioning why Delia did not take action against Konrad Mizzi. ‘Do you really believe that the Prime Minister can and will choose a truly independent board of inquiry that is capable of delivering the truth, justice and change that Malta desperately needs?” It asked whether Delia truly believes that a board of inquiry appointed by the Prime Minister will be able to deliver real justice, and if Delia truly wants change and justice for Malta.
PD said it is ready to work with Delia and anyone who has the best interests for the country, and fight for truth, justice and change and to take action to ensure that Konrad Mizzi submits to the appropriate scrutiny of Parliament through a vote of no confidence as soon as possible.
PD believes that Delia is trying to justify his decisions to take no actions against Mizzi by calling for an independent inquiry into the circumstances leading to the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. Farrugia said that the Party have no faith in any board of inquiry appointed by the Prime Minister, and believe that it is time for a truly independent inquiry by the people and not the Prime Minister. PD believes that Daphne Caruana Galizia deserves justice and that if change does happen soon, the hidden interests that killed Daphne will kill again.
Deputy Leader Timothy Alden added ‘if you want to change the system, you cannot do it from within if you really want to change, you need to do it from outside. Once he resigned, instead of joining PN, he stood for the most difficult option; the third party. Here we are fighting for what is right, against all odds, with the interest of the people.’