The PN and PL members on the Public Accounts Committee have engaged in a war of words over the recent Wasteserv emails published by MaltaToday, in which PAC Chairman Beppe Fenech Adami, along with committee members Claudio Grech and Jason Azzopardi, appeared.
Fenech Adami was going to start the PAC hearing, which was called by the PN over the recruitment of employees with Wasteserv in July, particularly during the election campaign, when PL MP Robert Abela expressed his surprise that he (Fenech Adami) did not bring up recent developments, saying that he felt the need to do so himself.
Abela said that the emails show members of the Opposition on this very Public Accounts Committee, treating a situation which the very same opposition Members had done.
"I am disappointed how none of you raised this point," adding that none of the persons implicated denied that the emails were truth.
Fenech Adami said that on government's request, the period being scrutinised was extended to 2010. He said that this committee has no problem discussing what happened between 2010-2016, but stressed that the truth about what happened in the weeks before and after the last election will not be swept away
When pressed by Rosianne Cutajar and Abela, who both said that he looked uncomfortable, Fenech Adami said he would not be taking lectures from Abela or Joseph Muscat, who he said have much more conflicts of interest.
"Joseph Muscat will resign before Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri," Fenech Adami also said.
The PL group raised concerns that Fenech Adami, Claudio Grech, and Jason Azzopardi all appeared in the emails, bringing doubt upon the integrity of the committee, especially as they were examining Wasteserv and its employment practices during the general election in 2017.
"You preach about rule of law, you need to ask yourself how tenable your position is to hear your own case. If you don't to hear your own case here it's fine, the public will judge you," Abela said.
The PL group also questioned whether Adrian Delia had objected to Fenech Adami's position on the committee; to which he replied that Delia had appointed him to the board at the start of this legislature.
This article will be updated shortly.
from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/2F0KmO3
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