Who will unwrap the brown paper

 

For a government that has been harping on about transparency, we have seen little of it in Malta.  The EU anti-fraud agency OLAF report, dealing with the details, leading to EC Commissioner John Dalli's resignation remains under wraps. It has been passed on to the Malta Police by the Attorney General with his recommendations. Local media attention has now turned to the Maltese lawyer to whom the snus manufacturer Swedish Match is alleging the bribe was made.

Meanwhile, going way back to early in the year, in a debate between Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Oppostion leader Joseph Muscat in February, one of the  points the PM put forward, to be seen as a plus for his government, was that a Brazilian company was about to invest in Malta.

Since I was present at that debate, I really should have asked the PM to expand on this future investment, but frankly the whole 'debate' was so uninspired that my adrenalin level was beyond any kind of motivation.

The Brazilian company reared its head again, at a televised debate on Friday, when in answer to a jibe, by Muscat that this was yet another unfulfilled government achievement, Gonzi said the company had in fact started operating a while ago and was already employing people.

I did not watch this debate so am unaware if the presenter of the programme delved deeper on this point. For example, when exactly was a "while ago" and what the name of company was? However, it does not seem likely since the Malta Sunday Timeshas been asking the questions and reported today that the Office of the Prime Minister was being economical with details about the company.

“The company is a Brazilian international company. In the wake of Libya’s unrest, the company decided to relocate its offices to Malta. The company co-ordinates major construction projects in North Africa,” an OPM spokesperson told the paper.

It also reported that it was informed (one can speculate on whether this information came from the Opposition, from rebel MP's who have left or been ousted by the PN, or from within the PN itself)  that the PM failed to answer two parliamentary questions made months ago by Labour MPs Gino Cauchi and Carmelo Abela on the same subject.

So why the secrecy? I am beginning to think that there might be a John Dalli connection.