Public Accounts Committee sets date for Tuesday for Mizzi’s testimony, after he again fails to attend

The Public Accounts Committee has sent a request to MP Konrad Mizzi to appear before it on Tuesday, after he again did not appear before it yesterday.

Last Tuesday, Mizzi had finally agreed to attend a committee meeting, after PN MPs filed a motion threatening to call a vote in Parliament to order Mizzi to attend. This, after Mizzi had previously twice refused to attend the committee. In response to that, on Tuesday evening, Mizzi said he would attend, “in order not to let the nationalists disrupt the government’s work and the Prime Minister’s speech (about the budget).”

On Wednesday afternoon, Mizzi wrote a post on Facebook. “Yesterday (Tuesday) evening, PN MP Beppe Fenech Adami, in all arrogance, ‘ ordered me’ to attend the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee today (yesterday). I am not going to stand for this arrogance. It is my right to be assisted by a lawyer I trust during a committee meeting, and this cannot happen today as my lawyer is not available without proper notice.”

“Dear Beppe, I will attend the committee, rest assured, on a day that is convenient to all parties. I will not let you turn this committee into a partisan political exercise to obscure the government’s work and obscure the benefits of this project, including the reduction in energy bills, the reduction of emissions and the closing of the (Marsa) power station.”

The Public Accounts Committee then met yesterday afternoon and, after struggling to agree on a date to call Mizzi, with the PN MPs having tried to push for this Friday, agreement was reached.

The committee agreed to meet on Tuesday next week at 2pm, on the understanding that will be another meeting on Wednesday. Both Mizzi as well as former Electrogas Director Paul Apap Bologna were summoned to appear on Tuesday. Apap Bologna was meant to appear sooner, but was unable to due to an issue that was generally accepted by the committee.