Call for investigation into controversial Maghtab incinerator project

Five Nationalist Party MPs have urged the Auditor General to probe the €600 million Maghtab incinerator project.

MPs Darren Carabott, Claudette Buttigieg, Graham Bencini, Eve Borg Bonello, and Rebekah Borg are pushing for an investigation into the contract awarded for the Maghtab waste-to-energy incinerator, citing serious concerns voiced by residents on health and environmental impacts.

The MPs demanded confirmation that all required studies were conducted correctly to protect the community.

The call for scrutiny comes after a legal battle got the original award of the tender annulled, highlighting conflicts of interest within the adjudication and evaluation committees.

Key figures in the adjudication process, including Stephanie Scicluna Laviera, Kenneth Swain, and Vincent Micallef, were criticised for their roles.

Scicluna Laviera breached rules by having a dual role as a WasteServ procurement manager while on the incinerator’s evaluation committee. Swain and Micallef held multiple government positions, raising doubts about their impartiality.

Originally awarded to Paprec Energies International, which includes the Maltese firm Bonnici Brothers, the contract faced immediate controversy.

Bonnici Brothers was awarded the contract despite lacking waste management experience.

The owners of the company, friends of Prime Minister Robert Abela, have been awarded major projects in recent years, including the temporary power station brought in to help with the energy crisis for €37 million – the project is late.

Hitachi-Terna, the second-place bidder for the incinerator project, argued that the process was unfair, citing premature disclosure of financial bids and conflicts of interest. Their successful appeal led to the contract being annulled.

Now, Wasteserv has announced that, following the Court ruling, it will re-evaluate the bids but will not start a new tendering process.

Nationalist MPs stressed the need for transparent and responsible management of public funds. Carabott, Buttigieg, and Bencini, from the Public Accounts Committee, said they were committed to ensuring that public money was spent wisely and the environment protected.

They emphasised the importance of restoring public trust through a transparent re-evaluation process.

Public outcry has been significant. Independent politician Arnold Cassola has demanded a thorough investigation, pointing to the ties between prime minister Abela and Bonnici Brothers.

Cassola said on social media: “Robert Abela was a business partner of Bonnici Brothers. The Shift revealed that Robert Abela and his wife Lydia banked huge profits from a property development investment they made with Gilbert Bonnici. Given the circumstances, insider knowledge is clearly a possibility. We demand an investigation. The people of Malta can no longer be kept in the dark.”

WasteServ CEO Richard Bilocca has been criticised for his response to the court ruling. He claimed the court did not find fault with WasteServ’s procurement process despite the court ruling that the evaluation process was compromised by conflicts of interest.

Residents of Maghtab and the surrounding areas are closely watching the situation. They hope for an outcome that addresses concerns about the impact on the community already affected by decades of waste dumped in the area.