Acting Speaker: Energy Minister should not have attributed bad motive by former ministers

The Acting Speaker of the House of Representatives, Censu Galea, in a ruling this evening said that Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi should not have attributed bad motives by other members of the House when he spoke yesterday about theft of electricity, unless he had proof to substantiate his allegations.

Mr Galea gave his ruling at the request of the Opposition, who said that Dr Mizzi had implied personal responsibility for theft of electricity.

In his ruling, Mr Galea said that while Standing Order 63, mentioned by the opposition, did not apply as what had taken place did not fall within the parameters of dishonourable behaviour. Standing Orders, however, also laid down that: 'No member shall use offensive or unbecoming words
against the character or proceedings of the House or in reference to
any member thereof. No bad motive shall be attributed to any
member. 

Dr Mizzi had made a bad choice of words when he said that the former administration had thrown files (on theft of electricity) into a box, and he could have spoken differently to convey his message without implying bad motive, unless he could prove his allegations. 

The ruling was given after a lengthy suspension of the sitting, the second in as many days.

Earlier, Dr Mizzi and former minister Tonio Fenech continued to make angry exchangeson the tampered meters issue and theft of electricity after the Opposition yesterday demanded action by the Speaker after the minister implied personal responsibility by former ministers in the theft of electricity.

At the start of the sitting, Dr Mizzi said he stood by what he said yesterday, but added that the Opposition was complaining about half a sentence uttered amid a crossfire and opposition interruptions.

The minister then again went over what he said yesterday, speaking, however, of political responsibility.

He said the theft of electricity had taken place under the watch of the Nationalist government and the ministers had known that theft had taken place.

He said it was hypocritical of the Opposition to try to stop him from speaking when he was reporting to the House what had taken place in Enemalta under the former government including the theft of electricity and the oil procurement scandal. 

The minister said the comment complained of had to be seen in the whole context of his speech.

Acting Speaker Censu Galea repeatedly asked if the minister was speaking about political or personal responsibility. The minister said he stood by his speeches yesterday and this evening.

Mr Fenech said it was evident that the minister did not want to withdraw his words. A reading of the text showed this had not been a simple crossfire. He had accused the members of the opposition, when in power, of having thrown the files (on theft of electricity) into the box you put them.It was one thing to know in general terms that there was theft of electricity but it would have been different had one known of specific cases and not acted on them.What Dr Mizzi had said was that it was the former administration - the ministers - who had thrown the files into a box, and not some Enemalta official.

COURT EVIDENCE

Mr Fenech noted that in court evidence today, the Enemalta internal auditor had said that the case of the tampered smart meters was discovered in July when a meter was returned to Enemalta after having been installed in Attard.

This contradicted what the minister had said about the tampered meters scandal having been discovered by the Fraud Unit. July was under the watch of the current government, not the former government.

Was it true that of the files on theft which the minister had spoken about yesterday included some which went back to 2003?

Was Mr Mizzi in the board of management of Enemalta at the time? Would he therefore also assume responsibility for what happened under his watch in that position?

Interjecting, Dr Mizzi said he was a manager responsible for IT and theft of electricity was not within his remit.

Mario de Marco said that in the same way as the minister could accuse the former ministers of political, but not personal responsibility for theft of electricity, the Opposition could say that he had to shoulder managerial responsibility for the theft which took place while he was in the managerial committee of Enemalta. Could he as a former member of the management committee say that Enemalta was ever given political direction not to act against theft under the former government?

Dr Mizzi said he had restated the facts - that there was theft of electricity under the former government about which no action had been taken. The comments the Opposition was complaining of were made in a crossfire in which many other things were said but not recorded.

Mr Fenech said the Opposition's intention was not to request the suspension of Dr Mizzi but for the text to be corrected.

Dr Mizzi said the Opposition could do what it wished, but what he had said was in the context of what was said. He stood by what he said and did not care if he was 'named'.