Mediterranean Offshore Bunkering Co. Ltd's (MOBC) privatisation process was suddenly aborted after two preliminary meetings, a former Enemalta lawyer has told a court.

Joseph Vella was testifying in the case of former Enemalta chairman Tancred Tabone, who was arraigned in 2013 in connection with the oil procurement scandal. He stands accused of corruption and money laundering.

Dr Vella explained that he served as Enemalta’s legal representative between 1987 and 2008 and that, together with a group of lawyers, he carried out legal work for Enemalta and its subsidiary companies, including MOBC.

Dr Vella said that discussions were initiated with Deloitte and the Malta Privatisation Unit regarding the privatisation of the MOBC. Dr Vella told Magistrate Claire Strafrace Zammit that, as far as he knew, the Privatisation Unit fell under the remit of the Finance Ministry.

They had eventually met up with Deloitte to discuss how to go about splitting up the work involved in the privatisation process. The meetings aimed at establishing a “roadmap” to obtain the interest of potential clients.

“But after two meeting, Emmanuel Ellul from the Privatisation Unit informed us that the project was aborted and nothing has happened since.”

Inspector Jonathan Ferris prosecuted while lawyer Giannella de Marco appeared for Mr Tabone.

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