Enemalta has refused to provide more details about an assignment given to Konrad Mizzi’s associate and friend David Galea, whose firm Beat Ltd was tasked with reviewing the Auditor General’s critical report about the Electrogas power station contracts. 

Beat Ltd was given the direct order by Enemalta in December 2019, despite its founder and CEO having played a role in drawing up the very contracts that were the subject of the Auditor General’s investigation. 

A freedom of information request from Times of Malta seeking further details about the terms of reference of the assignment given to Beat Ltd was rejected on the basis of commercial secrecy.

The same reason was cited to reject two other freedom of information requests about the Montenegro wind farm scandal prior to the revelation by Times of Malta and Reuters that murder suspect Yorgen Fenech made €4.6 million off the deal via his company 17 Black. 

Beat Ltd was often used by Konrad Mizzi to carry out “consultancy” work on projects the disgraced minister was involved in. 

Malta Today reported on Sunday that Fenech had offered to give information about the “corrupt” Electrogas deal in exchange for a pardon on charges that he financed the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in October 2017. 

The Auditor General had found “multiple instances of non-compliance” in the Electrogas bid. The final assessment of the competing bids for the power station project was overseen by Nexia BT’s managing partner Brian Tonna. 

Nexia BT is the same firm that set up Panama companies for Mizzi and former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri.

A leaked e-mail sent by the firm said 17 Black would pay up to €2 million into accounts the two former government officials tried to open for these offshore firms.

Apart from playing a role in selecting Electrogas as the winning bidder, Nexia BT also went on to act as auditors for the holding company used by Fenech and the other local businessmen to hold shares in Electrogas.