Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1216530
11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 MARCH 2020 NEWS NOTIFICATION ISSUED IN TERMS OF THE LOCATIONS FOR GAMING PARLOURS DIRECTIVE Our Reference: MGA/B2C/223/2011 27 th February 2020 Gaming Operations Ltd IZIBET, 11, Triq il-Halel, Bugibba The Malta Gaming Authority (hereinafter the 'Authority') hereby notifies the public that it has given its clearance for a controlled gaming premises to be opened at the above-quoted address. Such clearance however is still subject to final review of the application by the Authority. The Authority notifies the public that, until the 17 th March 2020 copies of the application, plans and other documents may be viewed, by appointment, at the Authority's office during office hours (i.e. Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) between 9am and 4pm). Any person may object to the opening of this controlled gaming premises, but such an objection may only be made on grounds of non-compliance with the Gaming Premises Regulations (S.L. 583.07 of the Laws of Malta). This Directive may be found on the Authority's website www.mga.org.mt The Authority shall only accept objections which are made in writing and which are received by not later than the 17 th March 2020. The written objections are to either be sent to the Chief Officer — Compliance, The Malta Gaming Authority, Building SCM02-03, Level 4, Smart City Malta, Ricasoli - SCM 1001 or by e-mail on obiections.mga@mga.org.mt Objections shall quote our reference and shall also include the details of the person making the objection, including full name, address and contact details. The Authority shall subsequently consider the objections it receives within the stipulated deadline and shall proceed accordingly. MALTA GAMING AUTHORITY B uildinm• SCI I OK- OK, Level 4, Smart City f°i alta, Kicasofi SCI°I 1001, i°ialta T +35G 25a 6 5 00 0 E info.iJ1ga¿n7inga.org.nJ t www. mga.org.m"': CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Instead of demanding both Vi- tals Global Healthcare and later Steward for the signed bank guar- antee, the Maltese government had allowed both companies to make do without the guarantee. Mizzi had signed the new terms in February 2018, as a suitable alternative for the performance guarantee. Vitals had no track record in the health industry when in mid- 2017 it encountered difficulties finding banking institutions to fi- nance its operations and commit- ments. The performance guaran- tee would have been called up by the Maltese state, if the hospitals' concessionaire failed to meet its commitments. But in 2015 VGH posted a net loss of €6 million, with total lia- bilities exceeding assets by €8.9 million. Since then debts are be- lieved to have climbed to over €30 million, but accounts for VGH's 2017 financial year – the year in which it sold its conces- sion to Steward – have not yet been filed. Earlier this week, MaltaToday revealed pointed correspondence from Steward's president Armin Ernst to Prime Minister Robert Abela, showing how Steward is owed €18 million in government dues for running the three hospi- tals. Ernst said Steward was facing an exposure of over €12 million due to problems connected to the Vitals concession on financ- ing problems as well court pro- ceedings from former investors. But it called on the government to honour well over €18 million in reimbursements in accordance with the concession agreement. "While we agree that it is in- cumbent on Steward as the (rel- atively) newly appointed conces- sionaire to resolve these issues on the project… we simply cannot do this without the support of the government," Ernst told Abela. He said many of the legal claims and tendering issues Steward was dealing related to VGH's business practices "in a period where the government was, or should have been closely involved in and over- seeing the commission, including the financing and construction arrangements" – a reference to a monitoring committee appoint- ed by the health ministry to over- see the VGH concession. The committee is headed by Dr Joseph Zarb Adami, and was appointed to make sure the level of healthcare received from the three hospitals Steward run re- mains up to standard. But the health ministry claims that whenever issues with health- care were identified, they were immediately addressed and re- solved. It made no mention of Vitals's problems in meeting its milestones when it was granted the concession in 2015. Ernst was clear with Abela that unless the government reimburs- es Steward for expenses it was in- curring as part of the concession, it could not be expected to pay for the costs incurred under the Vitals concession. Ernst, a former director at Vi- tals before leaving to join Steward a few months before the US com- pany acquired the Maltese hos- pitals concession in December 2017, has now asked the Maltese government for "evidence of ac- tual supervision" on VGH's con- cession and on the appointment of Shapoorji Pallonji as contrac- tor on the project. Ernst wrote an additional letter to Abela, outlining the €18.6 mil- lion that Steward was expecting reimbursement for, and with can- did language for the government. "Forgive me for being blunt, but arguably we are basically at this stage subsidising healthcare in Malta!" Ernst wrote as he signed off on the sums owing to Stew- ard. These include €8.8 million for budgetary increases to run the hospitals for 2017-9; €8 million in salaries and €3.95 million for clin- ical resources; just over €760,000 for beds at the Gozo and Karin Grech hospitals; and €887,000 for the lease on the St Luke's orthot- ics and prosthetics unit. "In November 2019 we be- lieved we were close to sign- ing an MoU," Ernst said of the agreement hammered with Ab- ela's predecessor Joseph Muscat, who personally accompanied the Steward boss for a meeting with Abela to discuss the ramifications of the memorandum. "Due to political issues in Malta and resultant continued lack of engagement this is also still not addressed… the time has now come to ensure proper payment of sums due is made and that there is clarity as to the future of this project." By Matthew Vella Steward says government must pay €18m Armin Ernst: Government has yet to reimburse Steward €18 million for salaries and other expenses to run the concession