A lengthy corruption inquiry into ex-fisheries head Andreina Fenech Farrugia has been “concluded”, according to two sources.
Fenech Farrugia was suspended as director general of the fisheries department in 2019 after transcripts of phone intercepts published by Spanish news outlet El Confidencial suggested she was involved in facilitating illegal tuna trade.
She denies the allegations.
The intercepts formed part of a sprawling Spanish-led investigation into the illegal trafficking and sale of bluefin tuna.
Two sources told Times of Malta that a magisterial inquiry into the suspected Maltese players involved in the alleged racket has been concluded and passed on to the attorney general and police. A police spokesperson declined to confirm whether the inquiry has been concluded.
Spanish court documents seen by Times of Malta allege Fenech Farrugia was involved in supporting the illegal trade and potentially receiving payments while heading the fisheries department.
Previously publicised transcripts of intercepted phone calls between Fenech Farrugia and Spanish tuna operator José Fuentes Garcia suggest the ex-fisheries head solicited payments.
“I am in Bulgaria just for you. You have to pay me because I have a meeting with the [director] general of Brussels,” one transcript says.
In another conversation, Fuentes greets “Andreina” with the words “gorgeous,” to which she replies: “The minister and everyone else wants me”.
She tells Fuentes he “has to pay” and that (rival tuna firm) Fish & Fish must know of nothing.
Ex-MP Jason Azzopardi had revealed a 2011 administrative inquiry into shortcomings in the fisheries sector.
Azzopardi questioned why Fenech Farrugia, who was transferred out of the fisheries department in 2010, was reappointed in 2013 when Labour returned to power.
Fenech Farrugia’s lawyer Franco Debono reiterated his client’s innocence when contacted.
Debono said Fenech Farrugia has not been contacted by the police and is not aware of the inquiry being concluded.
Spanish investigators allege the players involved in the racket would register a tuna harvest from Malta-based tuna farms, simulate a false sale of the tuna, then use fake records to introduce undocumented tuna into the supply chain.
Bluefin tuna catches are governed by international quotas to help protect the species.
A warehouse in Valencia, Spain, is alleged to have been used to receive illegally caught tuna mainly originating from Malta and Italy.
Surveillance of the warehouse by Spanish investigators showed trucks linked to tuna suppliers from Malta loading and unloading tuna there, according to Spanish court documents.
The investigation found that the tuna was often stored and handled in unsanitary conditions.
Additives were allegedly used to disguise low-quality or spoiled tuna.
The additives injected into the tuna brightened the red colour of the flesh to mimic that of fresh bluefin tuna. Additives were also used to mask spoilage, especially in fish that had been frozen for a long time or were in a poor condition.
Tuna consumed from suppliers linked to the illegal trade led to several cases of food poisoning in Spain linked to the consumption of spoiled tuna.