An auditor’s report can influence the appeals board, but the minister’s statements and media reports do not seem to have such an effect, Joe Sant said mockingly yesterday.

Mr Sant, secretary of the committee against the proposed Sant’ Antnin recycling plant, was commenting on the Ombudsman’s recommendation to stop the release of a report compiled by Joe Falzon, auditor of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (Mepa). The report investigated the approval of the full development permit for the plant by the Mepa board. Mepa’s lawyers, after reading a draft of the report, had asked the Ombudsman to consider whether or not the report should be made public.

The secretary explained that currently there was no board to be influenced, as the board was not constituted. In fact, the committee’s appeal against the original outline plan had been put on hold sine die. Mr Sant said the committee also appealed against the full development permit.

Mr Sant said the committee would attend the next plenary session of the European Parliament in order to put pressure on Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas to take action on the issue.