Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg on Tuesday convened the National Audit Office Accounts Committee in Parliament to discuss the Fortina contract.

The National Audit Office report found that the government had pushed through a parliamentary resolution to remove conditions on land acquired by the Fortina Group in 2019 which saw the private sector entity pay millions less than what an audit firm had valued.

During the short Parliamentary committee session, PN MP Darren Carabott asked Borg whether, given that the resolution in question had been put forward by Borg at the time, whether he feels that he has a conflict of interest.

Borg said that as he had the best interest of the people at the time, he has the same interest today. He said that he had no objection if anyone wants to request a ruling from the Speaker, but said he does not feel that he should abdicate.

Borg said that the meeting was called in light of the National Audit Office report, which he said found that Parliament did not have certain information when the decision regarding the removal of land conditions was taken. This was in reference to the National Audit Office finding that A former Chair of the Board of Governors of the Lands Authority misled the Board, the Minister, the Parliamentary Secretary, and ultimately Parliament at the time, "when he falsely documented" that an audit report was still pending. 

Borg said that the responsibility of the MPs on the committee is to ask for a copy of the valuation estimates which were not made available to MPs when Parliament had voted on the resolution regarding this case, among other things, so that the Committee can discuss the situation.

"We are here with an open mind to ensure that, where our predecessors unfortunately had missing information, now that it was brought to the attention of Parliament we can regulate the position of Parliament which authorised the Lands Authority to enter into the public contract."

PN MP Darren Carabott said the Opposition agrees, but also said that the committee should not tie itself solely to questions related to the valuation.

Carabott also said that the case should also be discussed by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) with urgency, but Borg said that the PAC has something else on the agenda. Carabott said that the other issue hasn't even begun being discussed, and said that the National Audit Office Accounts Committee should ask the PAC to meet urgently and suspend its agenda and start a discussion on this case immediately. Borg said that government MPs need to talk to the Parliamentary Group first, but said that it would (at some point) end up before the PAC.

Borg also said that he doesn't have a number documents the auditor general mentioned in his report, and said that once the National Audit Office Accounts Committee has them, then the committee would take a decision.

A PL MP, however, said that one cannot have two committees discussing the same subject, adding that if the Opposition feels it should put move the report to the PAC later, then it can do so.

Borg said that after the Auditor General will make a presentation, then the government and PN can discuss how work will proceed.

The National Audit Office Accounts Committee will reconvene on 6 October.