Fenech 'did not know' of tax fraud investigation involving George Farrugia before pardon was granted

Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said this evening that he did not know that the Tax Compliance Unit was investigating Aikon Ltd, a company in which George Farrugia was one of the main shareholders, until he received e-mails from The Times with questions on the oil procurement scandal. Speaking at a press conference, Mr Fenech said he did not know about the investigation before Mr Farrugia was granted the presidential pardon for information on the oil procurement case, on February 8. He learnt of the investigation on February 13. The pardon, he stressed, does not cover any tax fraud, if it results. He said the investigation is in an advanced stage, but had been widened to include all companies which Aikon had traded with. Mr Fenech said the head of the Security Service had, in August 2011, requested the Finance Ministry to ask the Tax Compliance Unit to investigate Aikon Ltd. Documents covering the period 2004-2010 were handed by the head of the Security Service to the Ministry's head of Secretariat, who immediately passed them on to the TCU. The head of secretariat did not see the documents, nor did he inform the minister about them. "The ministry was only the messenger," Mr...