Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/476647
WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT WEDNESDAY EDITION WEDNESDAY • 11 MARCH 2015 • ISSUE 406 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY €1.00 Newspaper post EDITORIAL PAGE 10 CONTINUES PAGE 5 PAGE 2 'SPRING HUNTING SHOULD OPEN - ORNIS' Mizzi defends SOCAR hedge, says he did not intervene in deal TIM DIACONO ENERGY minister Konrad Mizzi has insisted that his "ministerial di- rection" about Enemalta's fuel hedg- ing was limited to a direction to En- emalta to keep fuel prices low and to broaden their supplier chain. A "ministerial direction" to include Azerbaijani state oil company SO- CAR in Enemalta's list of suppliers, has been referred to by the Auditor General, who described a direct order for six months' hedging on unleaded petrol and diesel as "detracting from the process's accountability and a shortcoming in terms of governance". Mizzi has defended his decision to avert a 2c increase in fuel at the pump, by opening contact with SOCAR, the Azeri company – which will supply Malta with LNG as part of the Elec- troGas consortium. "In the second quarter of 2014, En- emalta had closed hedges on fuel and petrol. Enemalta chairman Charles Mangion had informed me that the markets were showing that petrol and diesel would go up by 2c at the pump," Mizzi told the media yesterday morn- ing. "I told him that this was simply not an option and that we must do everything possible to avert it." Gozo whistleblower texted Debono over unpaid construction SAVIOUR BALZAN FORMER minister for Gozo Giovanna Debono received an SMS from the Gozitan contrac- tor turned whistleblower, who messaged her because her hus- band Anthony would not reply to his telephone calls and mes- sages asking him to pay up for works the contractor had car- ried out. The SMS was sent to Anthony Debono in Maltese, and a copy was then also sent to Giovanna Debono. It read: Toni issa ghadda hafna zmien hu ghandi ma thallastx ma nistax nibqghu sejrin hekk. Ix xoghol ghamiltulek kif xtaqt int hu lil min qatli int issa dawn in nies. ["Toni much time has passed and I have not been paid yet. We cannot continue like this. I did the work as you wanted me for the people you indicated now these people have what they wanted and I have not yet been paid. Do you think this is right?"] The SMS was sent on 7 Decem- ber, 2014. MRIEHEL'S HIGH-RISE FUTURE PAGES 6-7 CONTINUES PAGE 4