Update
Abela and Grech address party faithfuls two weeks away from election
Robert Abela, the Prime Minister, rallied supporters by highlighting his government’s achievements and accusing the establishment of trying to undermine Labour’s progress. In response, Bernard Grech accused Abela of being complicit in the Vitals scandal, claiming the Prime Minister knew about the corruption but didn’t take action. Grech also accused Abela of attempting to manipulate voters and criticized his behavior, pointing out dissatisfaction even among Labour supporters.
The Labour Party remains solidly in pole position leading the Nationalist Party by 8.4 points, which translates in to a gap of 21,539 votes.
Just two weeks before the European election is due, a new MaltaToday survey is predicting a turnout of 69.7%.
The gap between the two major parties represents a marginal increase from 7.7 points and 19,864 votes in the previous survey held in the beginning of the May. The difference between the two surveys is within the margin of error of both surveys.
Damning Vitals inquiry report published
Maltatoday published the damning inquiry on the Vitals scandal which rocked the country. The deal which was deemed as fraudulent by the courts seems to be rotten to core and the primary actors in this fraud indicate senior officials in the Muscat administration.
The inquiry into the Vitals Global Healthcare concession has identified companies with concealed ownership that lead back to former chief of staff Keith Schembri and ex-minister Konrad Mizzi. These companies engaged in consultancy agreements with various companies to help them win tenders issued by Maltese authorities, in return for a commission fee.
According to the inquiry, the company awarded an exclusive procurement contract by Vitals Global Healthcare (VGH) was allegedly meant to be owned by former chief of staff Keith Schembri and ex-minister Konrad Mizzi, among others. It was revealed that the owners of VGH funded the acquisition of Technoline using a company called Gateway Solution. The acquisition was facilitated by Technoline’s marketing director, who used a loan from VGH shareholders to acquire the company through his personal business Gateway Solutions. It was discovered that Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi, along with associates, were intended to be the owners of Gateway Solutions, with Technoline enjoying exclusivity to supply VGH with medical equipment. The inquiry found evidence of a mechanism involving offshore companies and nominees to make Ivan Vassallo appear as the owner of the Technoline Group. Additionally, just weeks after VGH was awarded the hospitals concession in July 2015, a meeting was scheduled between Nexia BT partner Brian Tonna and Pierre Sladden, an associate of Keith Schembri, to discuss the Technoline acquisition.
Morning Briefing
Moody’s praises economic growth, warns about debt, corruption
Credit rating agency Moody’s confirmed Malta’s A2 rating, highlighting its trend of strong economic growth, coupled with a strong domestic funding base. It however remarked that the country’s “moderate” debt burden and strong debt affordability metrics are at risk due to high deficits and the gradual impact of higher interest rates. These will “more than offset the favourable effect of the country’s strong nominal growth.” Moody’s also warned about challenges in terms of institutional capacity and controlling corruption, money laundering and rule of law breaches. PM Robert Abela described the report as another “certificate” for the country. (Maltatoday)
President warns against provokation as Muscat’s court appearence approaches
President Myriam Spiteri Debono said that nobody should provoke others or fall for provocation. The President appeared to be sharing her views on Tuesday’s arraignment of former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. She said that both the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader have called on people not to fall for provocation. Over the past days, there have been calls for people to show solidarity with Muscat as he is criminally charged in court following the conclusion of the magisterial inquiry into the hospitals’ deal. (Independent)
Nursing aide dies after being hit by ambulance
A 48-year-old nursing aide lost his life on Saturday after being struck by an ambulance while walking near the emergency department at Mater Dei Hospital. Joseph Grech from Cospicua was hit by an ambulance driven by a 36-year-old from Żejtun. A 54-year-old Romanian resident of St Paul’s Bay was also struck. Although a medical team provided assistance, Grech was pronounced dead at the scene, while the woman was taken to Mater Dei Hospital for further treatment. (Times of Malta)
