The Office of the Attorney General has skirted a question on whether it will publish the 17 Black inquiry report, telling Times of Malta that it is in the process of examining the Inquiry and is preparing the necessary steps to proceed with the prosecution.

"Thus, the Office is taking every step necessary in the best interests of the proper administration of justice," the Office said.

On Monday Opposition leader Bernard Grech, his predecessor Simon Busuttil and MEP David Casa said the AG had refused to hand them copies of the report. 

17 Black was a secret company set up by Yorgen Fenech to allegedly funnel funds to former chief of staff Keith Schembri and Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi in connection with the building of the Electrogas power station.

The inquiry by Magistrate Charmaine Galea was triggered in 2018 following a report by the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit that was sent to the police. 

Lawyer Jason Azzopardi had filed parallel requests on behalf of Busuttil, Casa and NGO Repubblika, which were eventually merged into one inquiry.

On Sunday Prime Minister Robert Abela said he wants the inquiry report made public, and that he would like to see more transparency when it comes to such inquiries.

The decision on whether or not the report is published is the attorney general's.

Times of Malta and Reuters exposed Fenech's ownership of 17 Black in 2018. The inquiry centred around plans by the company to pay millions of euro to Schembri and Mizzi via secretive offshore structures in Panama.

Schembri and Mizzi are expected to be charged as a result of the inquiry, along with Fenech, who was leading Electrogas, director Paul Apap Bologna, as well as Mario Pullicino, the local agent for the floating storage tanker fuelling the power station.