Jason Azzopardi sticks up for cop

MaltaToday reports that Azzopardi insisted that the board wrongfully sanctioned an inspector and let members of the Criminal Investigation Department get away scot-free.Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi today said that the police board which investigated the wrongful prosecution of 27-year-old Darryl Luke Borg was not independent.

Findings from the police board inquiry into the case concluded that Police Inspector Elton Taliana had failed to inform investigating officers that a second suspect had been interrogated and admitted to committing the crime while Borg was in prison for a crime he didn't commit. It also recommended that disciplinary measures should be taken against Taliana

However, Jason Azzopardi shed doubt on the board's independence and insisted that Taliana was not at fault.

Azzopardi said that the police board headed by former judge Franco Depasquale was "appointed by Joseph Muscat and proceeded against inspector Elton Taliana who carried out his duty and arraigned in court the person who was in fact guilty of crime."

The MP insisted that although the board was presided by an independent person "this didn't make the board independent."

The fuel procurement scandal

Lack of security in Enemalta procurement, $500,000 ‘severance’ for Frank Sammut  - MaltaToday 

Procedure demanded that bids submitted via email and later analysed by Enemalta's FPC, had to be followed by a resetting of the email's password to ensure security.Policy guidelines on activating the fuel procurement committee's generic email account were not adhered to in four instances out of a possible seven, the Auditor General told the parliamentary accounts committee today.

Information provided by the Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA), showed there had been four instances when this request was not made by the FPC, raising questions on why a new password had not been requested.

It transpires that on two occasions, the contracts were awarded to TOTSA, the company represented by oil trader George Farrugia, now State's evidence on the corruption charges against former Enemalta officials.

"By way of example, during an FPC meeting on 12 May 2011 which awarded a contract to TOTSA, no calls were made to MITA to reset the password. However, two calls were carried out from Enemalta to MITA three days before and another one the following day," deputy auditor general Charles Deguara said.

U ejja, what next

Never met the guy, but really what the f*** does this man know about Freeport.  The criteria for choosing people to posts must surely be based on some form of meritocracy.  Apart from being a Labour follower, can anyone inform me what does Aaron Farrugia know about the commercial aspect of freeports.  I'm waiting!  This is what MaltaToday reported.

Former chairman of Labour’s think-tank appointed Freeport CEO

MaltaToday is informed that his appointment will be made official in the coming days.Aaron Farrugia, former chairman of Labour’s think-tank ‘Fondazzjoni Ideat’ is set to be appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Freeport Corporation.

After the change in the party’s leadership in 2008, Farrugia was chosen to serve in the Labour Party’s central administration in the role of education secretary.

Defending the indefensible

Why does Beppe Fenech Adami continue to defend indefensible?
Beats me.
I cannot understand why the deputy leader of the PN continues to stand by the shortcomings of Austin Gatt who literally failed to implement a structured fuel procurement policy at EneMalta.
I once praised Austun Gatt for his work ethic.  I take it back.
And I apologise for the u-turn.
From Arriva to PBS to EneMalta, he was a miserable and veritable failure.
That however does get you to places it seems as we now see him heading a private consortium.  So much for meritocracy.

An editorial from 2006 from the Business Today

Irrespective of whether the argument being made by Richard Muscat and other government exponents that the expenditure procedures adopted at the now defunct Voice of the Mediterranean did not fall within public procurement regulations is correct or not, something was definitely wrong with the way the station was run.
The whole issue is one linked to good corporate governance or rather the lack of it.
Getting lost on the purely technical and legal argument of whether Muscat as managing director of VOM was answerable to government procedures is trying to avoid the far more serious argument of whether he managed the station in a diligent way.
This leader still has serious doubts as to whether Muscat’s interpretation of public procurement regulations is correct. After all he was utilising public funds just like any other State-owned entity. The defence being mounted now by Nationalist Party parliamentarians for Muscat jars with the continuous attacks the very same exponents had levelled against the drydocks for mismanaging public funds advanced to it over the years.
But the more serious issue at stake is whether Muscat adhered to the principles of good corporate governance.
The auditor general’s report leaves no doubt as to the way VOM was managed. Muscat behaved as if the company was his. Throwing all caution to the wind and simply dishing out thousands of liri in costly refurbishments and frivolous expenses is not the best way to manage a company, let alone one that is substantially financed by tax payers’ money.

Breach and then publish, what a sham

Beppe Fenech Adami believes that the police are in breach of data retention rules.  Perhaps it could be.  They cite private citizens having their privacy tampered with.  Then they call on the call logs which they accuse the police of having consulted to be published.  Beppe should really decide on which side he is on: the citizen, the police or his political sling match.
They are trying to find the weakest link in the Muscat administration, and so they have pounced on Silvio Scerri.  They are doing an Alfred Sant all over again and it will get them nowhere.  But they should realise that no one is really understanding what this is all about.

Elton Taliana boxing

Elton Taliana, Tonio Borg's trusted security officer

John Rizzo described former Tonio Borg security officer as being unsuitable for the job - but did anyone take action?

When Elton Taliana was police sergeant he was also investigated, according to a police file report, for his involvement in and contact with criminal elements. Taliana was investigated after informants led the police to him. One such report, from Inspector Huber to the police HQ superintendent on 28 December 2006, reads:

"CONFIDENTIAL: Yesterday the 27th instance in your presence two persons called at this end in order to give confidential information regarding PS 302 Elton Taliana who is currently performing security driver duties with Hon. Tonio Borg.

"Informants stated that PS Taliana had befriended and was continually being seen with a notorious criminal namely [name withheld] of St Paul's Bay. On a regular basis Taliana is also being seen going to Gozo together with same Rapa. It was further stated that (name withheld) with the assistance of Taliana was behind two thefts which took place in Gozo. One of these thefts was from the residence of a priest whilst the other was from a residence in Qala and this took place whilst the residents were attending a funeral. Besides Taliana and (name withheld) also used to have in their possession a garage in Xlendi Gozo.

"It was also alleged that Taliana was acting as a certain courier from Malta to Gozo most of the times using vehicles belonging to third parties. This cocaine was being supplied to a person known as JC, and the latter had connections to the XS Xlub in Xaghra Gozo.

Welcome to my first blog

Here I go, I have decided to take the small step into the brave world of blogs, but please do not call me a blogger.  I promise to bring the latest in news and off diary stories.
Listening to the Public Accounts Committee I am still trying to figure out why the discussion is focused on former minister Austin Gatt. If anything he should have resigned for being responsible when it all happened. I cannot quite understand why all the focus is on exonerating the minister.  Okay he was not directly involved but he was politically responsible. The whole fuel procurement scandal is an indictment on the Nationalist administration and the least PN leader Simon Busuttil can do is to be pro-active and start proposing new procurement procedures.  More so when we hear so much talk about being more European from the former MEP.  I am wondering whether this is a taste of the Nationalist opposition to come.  With such a meek opposition Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is in for a mega fun ride.