PN economy ministry spent around €20m in direct orders between 2008-2013

The Nationalist Party (PN) in government spent around €20,232,235 in direct orders during the last legislature they spent in government, between 2008 and 2013.

This information came to light in the form of a parliamentary question (PQ) tabled by a Labour Party (PL) MP to Economy Minister Chris Cardona on Wednesday evening.

Services rendered are vast and diverse, such as archaeological services, international ads, the renting out of conference rooms, various consultancies on wide ranging issues, IT services, construction and the extensive refurbishment works carried out at the Safi Aviation Park.

Polidano Bros Ltd received the largest direct order in the five-year period at €2,115,505 for works carried out at Safi Aviation Park while the smallest was worth €69.88 for a contract of service to an individual.

Aequitas Legal, the former law firm of PN leader Adrian Delia, benefitted from a direct order in 2009 worth €156,250 and a further €73,200 spread over the five-year period.

The PQ requested information about all entities, foundations, agencies, companies, corporations and authorities which fell under the economy ministry between 2008 and 2013, including Malta Enterprise and Malta Industrial Parks.

In recent months, the amount spent on direct orders has been subject to media attention and several MPs have responded to PQs in this regard. According to public procurement rules, direct orders must only be used in exceptional circumstances, such as urgent cases, for a specific service or when a particular entity is the only one able to render a specific service.

The economy minister recently responded to a PQ about direct orders issued between December 2016 and November 2017, amounting to €1.3 million.

In addition, it was also revealed that the Office of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat issued direct orders worth over €5 million in the space of just over a year. In another PQ, it was found that some €836,000 were spent on direct orders to an unidentified company within the OPM.

Previously asked by this newsroom about the growing number of direct orders, Muscat questioned if they were indeed growing and to what this was being compared to, refuting suggestions that the government should carry out an internal investigation. He said that it was the National Audit Office that did this on an annual basis, and that it would be left to carry out its work.