Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to first thank the hon. Member for her follow-up question on the NTC following PQs B/370 of 15 April 2025 and B/430 of 06 May 2005 during which I had replied that the Financial Crimes Commission was carrying out an enquiry on the counterfeit spare parts procured by the former management of the NTC and that the enquiry was still going on. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the House will recall my informing on the extreme mismanagement and corrupt practices then prevailing at the NTC which has resulted in the dire situation in which the corporation is today, both at operational and financial levels. I am informed by the management of the NTC that one fifth of its fleet of buses is being kept off the roads due to breakdown and spare parts issues, although these buses are within the legal age of authorising them to be operational, that is, 21 years of age. We are talking about a hundred buses. That is why in November 2023, in PQ B/1405, during my days as an Opposition MP, I had questioned the then Minister of Land Transport on the alleged malpractices occurring at the NTC. The population will recall how the then Speaker had brutally and vehemently prevented me from addressing additional questions to the then Minister. The reason for then suppressing facts…

Hon. Minister, the question is simple; whether there has been an inquiry and where matters stand.

Yes, I am coming to it.

Can we please stick to the question?

Yes.

We do not want to go back to the ex-Speaker …

Okay. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am informed by the General Manager of the NTC this morning that several spare parts items have been purchased by the then management at prices that range for more than three times, even going up to 25 times higher than current spare parts. Nobody in the House by any stretch of imagination could ever believe that an item could be acquired 25 times more than its normal price. This is sheer daylight robbery. As a matter of fact, the NTC has provided me with a long list of such abusive purchases, which list is not exhaustive. I am tabling a list of eight items for which there are supporting documents for the information of the House. The long list is still being compiled but I have it with me anyway. I have also with me a list of 29 items where the NTC is still compiling like I said, supporting documents and wherein it appears that some items have been acquired more than 16 times like I said. In addition, counterfeit spare parts were also acquired at high prices equivalent to the price of genuine spare parts or some items even higher or repeatedly stated to me by hon. Jugurnauth himself in the domain, particularly on the purchase of crank shafts, which example I had mentioned in the House before. I have today with me supporting documents which prove that the crank shaft has been purchased four times more than its current market price, that is Rs365 each instead of Rs89,600 at current market price. This appalling situation of mismanagement and corrupt practices resorted to by the former management is the reason as to why 20-25% of the fleet today is off the road like I mentioned. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, as per information provided by the NTC, a single supplier of spare parts, AB World Spare Parts Ltd has benefitted over Rs380 million of businesses between 2020 and 2024. It was the preferred supplier of the previous management under underlying reasons therefore for an easy guess. Based on the extremely abusive prices paid to that supplier as evidenced by documents I will table, the NTC has had to spend hundreds of millions of rupees more on spare parts than purchased. This money could have certainly been used more judiciously to acquire scores of new buses for the benefit of the NTC and of the travelling public. It is necessary to underline here that the former General Manager of the NTC, Mr G. R. R. has been formally charged with an offense for Public Officials using Office Gratification by the FCC in December 2025, in connection with a contract of procurement of bus tyres. I am tabling a copy of the communiqué issued by the FCC on 22 December 2025. The communiqué also underlines that the matter has already been referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions. The House will surely take note that in spite of the fact that the NTC was plagued with corruption and an inquiry was initiated by the FCC against the former General Manager since May 2023, that is, way before the general elections of November 2024, the previous regime maintained Mr G. R. R. in post unscathed. I wonder why so much leniency was shown and no immediate measure taken to prevent any possible interference in the inquiry. I am going to finish soon. I even asked myself whether the motive for no financial accounts to be filed by the NTC for some ten years prior to 2025 was not meant to deliberately hide disturbing facts and figures. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am informed that the FCC is currently enquiring into the supply of counterfeit spare parts acquired during the period 2020 to 2024. Thank you.

Thanks. Who got a supplementary?

I got two, please.

One by one. Let us hear the supplementary.

Thank you. Je vous remercie, M. le président. L’honorable ministre a évoqué une très longue liste de la CNT comportant des prix excessifs, notamment pour des pièces de rechange prétendument contrefaites. Pourrait-il en déposer une copie de la liste complète ? Merci.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I had mentioned I will communicate the communiqué and the first list and the long list that the hon. Member has requested for is here with supporting documents.

Okay, thanks. One last one.

Last one, thank you. Merci, M. le président. Le ministre peut-il indiquer à la Chambre les mesures concrètes qui seront prises eut égard à ce grand préjudice causé à la CNT dont il porte la responsabilité en sa qualité de ministre ? Merci.

Well, like I mentioned in my substantive reply, there appears to be two cases, one for which it has already been lodged at the Financial Crimes Division of the Intermediary Court and the second one, the enquiry is still ongoing as regards the long list that I mentioned.

The hon. Third Member for Quartier Militaire and Moka! VALETTA BYPASS – SPEED CAMERAS – PROJECTED INSTALLATION – EXPECTED OPERATION DATE