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Former Enemalta Chair admits Montenegro wind farm deal was not in Malta’s interest
Credit: The Shift Team · June 24, 2024 · theshiftnews.com ~~
Translate: FROM English | TO English
Translate: FROM English | TO English
Jonathan Scerri, Enemalta chairman between 2021 and 2022, admitted that a shady deal the government struck for a wind farm in Montenegro was not in the company’s interest, but he did not act, he told a parliamentary committee, because he was focusing on other issues at the time.
Scerri, an engineer, was addressing Parliament’s Public Appointments Committee during a hearing on his nomination to become chairman of the Malta Communications Authority (MCA).
When PN MPs Adrian Delia and Karol Aquilina questioned Scerri about his former public role at Enemalta and the 2015 Mozura Wind Farm deal, Scerri said that when he was appointed chairman, he found a report on the questionable deal and discussed it with Minister Miriam Dalli.
However, he said that since the report had already been passed on to the police for further investigations, he did not take further action.
When asked about the details of the deal, Scerri admitted that it was wrong and not in Enemalta’s interest. Yet he said he could not do anything to reverse it as he was more focused on other problems facing Enemalta at the time, mostly financial.
Enemalta purchased the Montenegro wind farm concession for €10.3 million in December 2015 – three times the €2.9 million paid just two weeks earlier by Cifidex, an anonymous offshore vehicle registered in Seychelles.
The Ultimate Beneficial Owner of Cifidex was Turab Musayev, who was on the Electrogas board of directors alongside Yorgen Fenech at the time of the share transfer to Enemalta.
So far, three years after the police were given the audit report carried out by legal firm MamoTCV, no charges have been presented in court against anyone responsible for the Montenegro deal. The audit was concluded in 2021, but Enemalta kept the report under wraps until 2023.
Scerri resigned from chairing Enemalta after only seven months. When asked why he resigned so quickly, Scerri said he did not have enough time for the job.
Regarding the Malta Communications Authority, Scerri recognised that he had no experience in the area but would be giving his input in a regulatory role rather than an executive position.
At the end of the grilling, Scerri’s nomination was approved by government MPs, with the opposition voting against it.
PN MP Adrian Delia explained that, given the country’s current circumstances, public appointees should be of the highest standard.
“For the PN, it’s not enough to say that one was not involved in a wrong decision and should stop there. We need people to act and try to correct what is wrong,” Delia insisted when explaining the PN’s vote.
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