Updated 4.30 pm with WasteServ statement
The Auditor-General has been asked to investigate the process for the granting of a €600 million contract for the waste-to-energy (incinerator) plant in Magħtab.
A French consortium working in partnership with local firm Bonnici Bros was selected for the Wasteserv contract in October last year, but a court struck down the process in June after finding conflicts of interest by adjudicating boards.
The PN said it had formally asked the Auditor-General to investigate the process. It said residents of the area were concerned about the goings on in Magħtab and wanted to be sure that proper studies were made before decisions were taken, and that such decisions were not detrimental to them.
The request for an investigation was made by Darren Carabott, chairman of the House Public Accounts Committee, accompanied by committee members Graham Bencini and Claudette Buttigieg. The shadow minister for the environment, Rebekah Borg and shadow minister for climate change and public cleanliness, Eve Borg Bonello, also signed the request.
WasteServ "welcomes" investigation
In reaction to the request, WasteServ said on Tuesday that it welcomed the Opposition's calls for an NAO investigation as it will serve as another opportunity to showcase the entity's work on the project.
WastesServ said that it adhered to best practices by engaging a leading global engineering firm that, further to that, even engaged a UK-based consultancy firm to independently audit the procurement procedure, including the evaluation of the submitted bids.
"Frith’s report confirmed that the recommended award, and the procurement process, were conducted in a fair, equitable and just manner," they said.
"In fact, the Court of Appeal’s judgment did not take issue with the procedure adopted by WasteServ to rank bidders or the scoring issued therein — which was green-lighted by the best international players in the field — but concentrated solely on what it deemed as perceived conflicts of interest related to the Public Contracts Review Board."
The entity said that it will now await direction from the NAo and it ready to deliver the full procurement file as soon as it it requested.
"The file, containing 47 individual box files, is still sealed under signatures since the day it was deposited in Court on March 27, 2024," they said, adding that it intends to cooperate fully with the NAO.