Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1324024
5 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 JANUARY 2021 NEWS Joseph Mifsd (centre) was one of the FIFA exco members who voted for Germany to host the 2006 World Cup. Left: the American Chuck Blazer, who in 2013 admitted to conspiring with other FIFA Executive Committee members to accept bribes in conjunction with the selection of 1998 and 2010 World Cup hosts. He received a lifetime ban from FIFA from all soccer-related activity Right: In May 2015, Trinidadian Jack Warner was indicted by the United States Department of Justice and an arrest warrant issued for him and other FIFA officials for "wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering". Norman Darmanin Demajo, the contender for the post of pres- ident of the MFA back in 2010, revealed documents himself on friendly between Bayern and a Maltese team selection, for which he claimed a sum of money was al- legedly paid to influence Mifsud's vote in favour of the German bid. Darmanin Demajo claimed that in October 2000, the MFA had received a payment of $250,000 in its account, with Mifsud then producing a contract – which was a 'certified true copy of the orig- inal' – which however aroused suspicion in the way it was word- ed. "The contract was signed in Qrendi in June 2000, and amongst other clauses which aroused my suspicion was the one stating that it was imperative that the contract was only to be made available to the top executives of the MFA and the company which negotiated the deal," Darmanin Demajo had said. "Additionally, the amount stated is in a 'fill in the blanks' for- mat with $250,000 written almost as an afterthought." Darmanin Demajo insisted that it was written down in the con- tract that the amount of $250,000 was to be paid into a trust account in the name of Dr Mifsud, and not directly into the MFA's coffers. He questioned why the amount was deposited into the MFA's account only in October, when the contract specifically stated that payment was to be made two weeks after the contract was signed on the 1 June, 2000. In 2017, a court dismissed a libel case filed by Mifsud against for- mer Illum editor Kurt Sansone, and another he filed against Dar- manin Demajo, both connected to the international allegations that money Mifsud was paid as MFA president had been routed into a trust fund. Darmanin Demajo, as MFA treasurer, had launched an investigation into allegations of corruption, misappropriation of funds and breach of the MFA stat- ute in contracts signed by Mifsud. Adrian Delia steals the show with €500,000 surprise donation from football money man MATTHEW VELLA AN unprecedented €500,000 do- nation in a charity telethon on New Year's Day caught every- body at Dar tal-Providenza by surprise, as former Opposition leader Adrian Delia stole the show late in the night. The Nationalist MP appeared as a formidable fund-raiser in his own right when he presented a €27,000 donation to the Catholic respite centre for disabled people which was collected by his politi- cal team. The donation itself eclipsed the humble €1,000 presented by the Nationalist Party. But minutes after Delia ap- peared with his first donation, the MP informed the telethon organisers that he was to present his half-million donation in the name of an overseas donor which in 2020 became the chief sponsor of Sliema Wanderers' F.C. The cash, which MaltaToday understands will be subject to verification by the institution, will be coming from the Catco Group Capital Investment, a company owned by Fisal Abdullah Aloko- la of the Tunisian Catco Group. Alokola is now chairman of the Sliema Wanderers. Delia credited SWFC president Jeffrey Farrugia, the former foot- baller, as having introduced him to the donors. He then read out a message from the donors which stated: "We truly believe that no person is less than any other person… we believe that all hu- mans are born equal… further to your heartfelt request to support Dar tal-Providenza, our group of companies are pledging the amount of €500,000." Farrugia was previously a team manager with most major Pre- mier League clubs. Catco is a player in oil, gas and the automo- tive industry in the Middle East, Africa, and the Gulf States. Delia's donation sent the €1.5 million collected up until 10:40pm to a whopping €2 mil- lion, with an emotional Delia shedding tears as he beckoned others to follow suit. "This group of companies has also told me that this is not a one-off, but that it wants to create a structure in which the Dar tal-Providenza can bank on a regular donation," Delia said, saying that the Catco chairman was following the live broadcast. In a brief comment to Malta- Today, which asked him about the origins of the cash for the do- nation. Delia said he had carried out his own due diligence on the benefactor. He said he was not rendering any corporate servic- es to either SWFC, Farrugia or Alokola. The New Year's Day fund-rais- er started at 9:30am on TVM2 with all political party stations following suit by relaying the live 12-hour broadcast. Fr Martin Micallef, director of the Siggiewi institution, said he was moved by the solidarity of the donors, which altogether had contributed a total €2,531,540 to Dar tal-Providenza, which provides residential servic- es to 115 persons with disability. The important fundraising as- pect of "Festa ta' Ġenerożità" in- cluding appeals, telephone and on-line donations were done at the We studios in Qormi be- tween noon and midnight. Vis- itors to the studios included the President of Malta, Dr George Vella, Archbishop Charles Sci- cluna, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Galea-Curmi, President Emeritus Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca and, through Skype, Gozo Bishop An- ton Teuma and Opposition lead- er Bernard Grech. Former PN leader Adrian Delia (centre) with the €500,000 donation