Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1338076
5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 10 FEBRUARY 2021 NEWS PL consultant placed on LNG selection board asked Yorgen Fenech for job CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Galea continued testifying to- day as part of the PAC's scrutiny of the National Audit Office's report on the Electrogas tender. The report was finalised in No- vember 2018. Subsequently, En- emalta engaged Galea to prepare a report on the NAO's observa- tions. The committee also heard Galea say that around March 2018, he offered Yorgen Fenech to draw up a report on the Tumas Group's gaming arm. The work was never contracted and noth- ing materialised from the offer. The revelation elicited some stern questions from the Opposi- tion MPs on the committee with Galea insisting that by then, his work on the Electrogas adjudica- tion had long ended. "Does this mean that I can never do business with Tumas, Gasan, Apap Bologna?" Galea asked in- credulously, when asked whether he felt this was unethical. Government Whip Glenn Bed- ingfield reacted to Galea's com- ment by telling him to direct that question to the Opposition MPs. Replying to questions by the Nationalist MPs, the witness de- nied having worked for either of the Electrogas bidders before the tender was awarded. Bedingfield accused the PN MPs of not being interested in the truth but only seeking an- swers that fit with their narrative. Galea reiterated that he was a friend of Konrad Mizzi and had met him twice or three times over lunch around November and December 2012. Mizzi had asked Galea for advice on the en- ergy sector. Galea testified that he had at- tended one meeting at Labour headquarters before the election but could not remember who was present. After constant probing by Na- tionalist MP Karol Aquilina, Galea said apart from Mizzi there was also a consultant from DNV Kema, Thomas Lennard. Galea said he was unsure wheth- er Edward Scicluna was present but could not recall whether Jo- seph Muscat or Keith Schembri were there. "I don't believe so," Galea said when asked again whether he saw Muscat and Schembri. The witness said the meet- ing was technical and he gave a high-level financial analysis of Enemalta's public financial state- ments. Asked by government MPs what his findings showed, Galea said Enemalta was in a bad shape with accumulated losses of €100 million and interest payments amounting to €23 million. Galea said the state energy company was beset by gross in- efficiencies because of its aged plants. Remembering the details of his presentation, Galea said Enemalta wasted €100 million worth of oil as a result of ineffi- cient machines. The Opposition MPs asked Galea who appointed the various people on the decision-making boards that were involved in the power station contract but insist- ed he did not know. DNV Kema had two consult- ants – Thomas Lennard and John Dean – on one of the evalua- tion committees. SGS had Sven Lataire, another consultant who had helped the PL draw up its en- ergy plan. David Galea (left) say that around March 2018 he offered Yorgen Fenech (right) to draw up a report on the Tumas Group's gaming arm MALTESE police are categorically denying reports that Julian Hofstra, who is currently serving time at an Amsterdam prison, was offered immunity in exchange for record- ings of Melvin Theuma. Earlier today the Malta Independent re- ported that police have offered Hofstra legal immunity for recordings of Melvin Theuma and information on his links to Konrad Miz- zi and Silvio Zammit. Konrad Mizzi's lawyer denied links to the Dutch inmate, despite a photo surfacing of the two at an Air Malta promotional event in 2018. In a statement to the Malta Independent, Mizzi's lawyer Jean Paul Sammut said that there are no links between Mizzi and Hof- stra. "While it would appear that the individual managed to have a photo of himself taken at a public event in the presence of Air Malta officials and our client, there is absolutely no connection between our client and the said individual. Any suggestion of a link or im- propriety is being strongly rejected." MaltaToday had previously reported that Hofstra is being "pressured" to hand over the recordings, which allegedly show Melvin Theuma fearful of Keith Schembri and any retribution from him. Hofstra's allegation of phone recordings of Melvin Theuma, whom he befriended at the white taxi stand at Fenech's Portomaso Hilton, in which the middleman allegedly speaks of his fear of Keith Schembri, the for- mer prime minister's chief of staff, has un- leashed a furious storm of speculation. These included allegations that he could have aided Theuma in sending phishing emails to Yorgen Fenech; as well as another bizarre twist in which he befriended Silvio Zammit, who stands charged with bribery in the Dalligate affair, whom he could have helped in tampering some emails related to the EU tobacco scandal. Police deny offering immunity to Dutch national in exchange for Theuma recordings Julian Hofstra