A students' grouping which unsuccessfully contested the last University Student Council (KSU) election said today that it was determined to breathe change into the council.

Mark Camilleri, speaking for Moviment Indipendenti, said the KSU had been dominated by the Christian Democrat Students for many years, and his movement was determined to bring about a situation where the KSU was run independently of the political parties, with its only agenda being the interests of the students at the University and the Junior College.

He also insisted at a press conference coinciding with Freshers' Week that the KSU needed to to give a better account of its spending, noting that the auditors in the last financial report had spoken of 'inconsistencies'.

Referring to Freshers' Week, he complained that too much importance had been given to the stands of commercial companies compared to the stands of the students' bodies. Furthermore, he said, one of the biggest stands was mounted by the Gasan Group when one of the committee members of KSU, Stephanie Soler, was the daughter of a Gasan board director. "It is utterly shameful and not the least ethical that the council is doing business with the relatives of its members while there is a total lack of transparency, '' Mr Camilleri said.

In a reaction, KSU President Carl Grech said KSU was fully accountable for its spending and its financial report was public and clear. The auditors would not have signed it otherwise, he said.

On Freshers' Week, he said that students' bodies had set up some 50 stands. The commercial stands were also important because of the revenue they generated to fund the activities during Freshers' Week itself as well as other KSU activities, he said.

He denied that there was any conflict of interest involving Ms Soler, pointing out that she had declared her interest at the first KSU meeting and, furthermore, her role had nothing to do with the dealings with these companies.