Investment, Industry and IT Minister Austin Gatt challenged opposition spokesman Leo Brincat yesterday to submit a formal complaint to the Commission Against Corruption to investigate claims he is making about the ministry’s head of secretariat.

The challenge came a few hours after Mr Brincat issued his third statement in as many days on the subject.

Mr Brincat, The Labour Party’s spokesman on information technology, said that even as minister he had never interfered in tenders that still had to be adjudicated. This was more so now that he was on the opposition benches.

He was referring to a comment by IT minister Austin Gatt in their war of words on huge tenders due to be awarded in the sector, with the minister’s head of secretariat having been appointed to play a role in the process, prompting Mr Brincat to wonder what the minister understood by transparency and administrative ethics.

Maybe, he added, the minister could say what the secretariat head’s role was in the Lm25 million tender for integrated utilities business systems at the Water Services Corporation and at Enemalta. Was the head involved only in the core evaluation team, or did he also play a part in drawing up the tender, or its adjudication? he asked.

Dr Gatt challenged Mr Brincat to take the matter in front of the Commission Against Corruption for it to be investigated in its entirety. He said he hoped that Mr Brincat would not duck the challenge and find an excuse not to testify.