Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/232206
8 News maltatoday, SUNDAY, 22 DECEMBER 2013 Powerplan lawyer: Trafigura inv IN February 2013 – days after MaltaToday broke the Enemalta scandal in the middle of the general elections – Mallia confirmed in a press conference that Powerplan had appointed him as a lawyer in 2010 to seek a settlement from George Farrugia on allegations of misappropriation of monies. At the time he had categorically denied any knowledge of the oil bribes. Farrugia, who is currently testifying in the parliament's public accounts committee, claims that Mallia was privy to all the details of the case. On his part, PAC member and Nationalist MP Beppe Fenech Adami has insisted that Farrugia explains what Mallia knew, in a bid to establish a timeline as to how the media broke the story. The PN is now claiming Mallia was aware of the bribery being paid to Enemalta officials, and that he is using the cloak of professional secrecy to cover a sin of omission or worse, that he is a political link to the story when it broke. But the crucial piece of evidence that MaltaToday published in January so far cannot be traced to a public cache of documents deposited in court by a Powerplan lawyer in late 2011 – after Mallia had resigned the case. Invoices deposited in court by David Farrugia Sacco, on behalf of the Farrugias and after Mallia resigned ownership of the case in 2011, showed that Farrugia was secretly siphoning oil commissions from Powerplan, into his personal company Aikon Ltd. But MaltaToday has confirmed, inquiring with both Farrugia Sacco and a member of the Farrugia family business, that the Trafigura invoice to Energy & Environment Consultants Ltd Manuel Mallia was appointed in 2010 by Powerplan to seek a settlement from George Farrugia over a misappropriation of funds Tracing Energy & Environment Consultants Ltd to Frank Sammut: the confirmation of the beneficiary invoice' was not amongst the AikonPowerplan invoices he deposited in court, which case was strictly connected to accusations of misappropriation of funds from Powerplan. The civil case did not even make any reference to bribery or trading in influence, but to the misappropriation of funds and double invoicing by George Farrugia. Appointment of Mallia was not amongst the cache of invoices they deposited in court when they sued Farrugia for damages. Yesterday, Farrugia Sacco told MaltaToday that the Trafigura 'bribe Manuel Mallia had been approached by Chris Farrugia, a nephew of George Farrugia, in 2010 to intervene as a lawyer and seek a resolution with Farrugia when his brothers suspected that he had been siphoning oil commissions payable to family business Powerplan. Mallia had specifically requested that Tony Debono obtain a company resolution authorising him to act on behalf of Powerplan. Debono was then a chairman to the executive board of Powerplan, appointed to chair the meetings of Powerplan's directors. Hunters collecting signatures with t RAPHAEL VASSALLO THE organisers of a petition aimed at preventing a referendum on spring hunting is collecting signatures on false pretences, and in some cases using intimidation and threats, Birdlife Malta – a partner in the Campaign to Abolish Spring Hunting – has claimed. Steve Micklewright, BLM director, confirmed that the NGO has received two calls this week from people who claim to have been harassed or intimidated in their homes, and several others alleging that petitioners are using devious methods to collect signatures in public places. Most callers asked for their identity to be protected. One man, who asked for even his home town to be left undisclosed, said he opened the door to find two people collecting signatures on his doorstep, and was practically 'ordered' to sign. Even without these allegations of intimidation, BLM argues the petition itself is gathering signatures on the false assumption that it is about hobbies in general – as opposed to only hunting in spring – and that other pastimes may be threatened by the referendum: a prospect which CASH vehemently denies. Several complaints reached Birdlife's offices about a woman collecting signatures outside a supermarket in Naxxar. According to eye witnesses the question she was using to entice people to sign was along the lines of "Int favur id-delizzji f'Malta?" (Are you in favour of hobbies (or pastimes) in Malta?" One of the complainants – who identified himself as Louis Borg – confirmed over the phone to MaltaToday that this tactic was tried (unsuccessfully) on him, after an un-