Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1441473
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 JANUARY 2022 NEWS Call for Applications: The Broadcasting Authority is seeking to fill the post of Project Manager A detailed job description is to be found on the Broadcasting Authority's website: http://www.ba.org.mt. Applicants must submit a letter of application together with a detailed copy of their CV by: • e-mail to administration.ba@ba.org.mt • not later than noon, Monday 24 th January 2022 Late applications will not be considered Jobs Plus Permit 804/2021 The Broadcasting Authority is a constitutional entity which regulates, licenses and monitors all radio and television broadcasts originating from the Maltese Islands. Broadcasting Authority 7, Mile End Road, ĦAMRUN ĦMR 1719, Malta. Telephone: +356 2201 6000 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 "The company does not have any dues to the Commissioner of VAT that are not tax-deferred under the government's COVID scheme. I understand that you are not suggesting that a com- pany should not be entitled to benefit from Government COV- ID schemes simply because it is owned by an Opposition MP." The VAT owed on Maltashop- per's turnover stretches back a number of years, MaltaToday is informed. Thake, who prior to becom- ing an MP hosted a radio pro- gramme on party station Net FM where he cold-called ap- pointees of the Labour admin- istration grilling them on their credentials, admitted his com- panies deserved no special enti- tlement. "The fact that a company is owned by an MP should not give it any special entitlement that absolves it of its obligations, and I can confirm that I have never asked for or been given any spe- cial entitlement either personal- ly or towards my company. "Our company was not im- mune to the challenges brought about by COVID-19 and like most companies took advan- tage of the schemes offered by government in the circumstanc- es. All citizens and companies should abide by all their obliga- tions towards the country's fis- cal regime. On the other hand, Government is morally obliged to spend these hard-earned tax- es responsibly and avoid issuing direct orders to the select few." Thake has previously said his companies "always scrupulously declared every cent of its sales" and that Vanilla Telecoms' VAT returns were filed on time and there was "absolutely no alle- gation of any tax evasion on the part of the company". Thake was elected to parlia- ment in a casual election in March 2020, taking the 12th district seat vacated by former PN leader Simon Busuttil. A for- mer PN councillor in St Paul's Bay, Thake, he was also a vocal critic of former leader Adrian Delia who was ousted following months of internal party strife. Thake has now asked parlia- ment's standards commission- er to investigate him, following revelations that Vanilla Tele- coms owes €270,000 in VAT dues and penalties. The Labour Party has argued that Thake's situation – which it claims is "tax evasion" – presents his par- ty leader Bernard Grech with a credibility problem, as Grech himself had problems with the taxman in the past. The PN has stood by Thake, re- butting in a statement of its own that prime minister Robert Abe- la was hypocritical to shield one of his own MPs who was caught with "up to €1 million in unex- plained wealth" – a reference to Ian Castaldi Paris. Castaldi Paris will not be seeking re-election. Thake has sued the Labour Party's media over a story pub- lished last week alleging that he reached an agreement with tax authorities only after his out- standing dues were exposed by the media. The story, published on the online portal of One News as well as by One TV, was titled "Thake Ihallas Biss Wara Li Nkixef Li Ma Hallasx il-VAT." Thake and his lawyer, Andrew Borg Cardona, said statements of fact in the story were false and were libellous, intended simply to tarnish his reputation. mvella@mediatoday.com.mt MP says business will file 10 years of annual accounts within the month Nationalist PM David Thake says Maltashopper has no VAT dues "that are not tax-deferred" CONTINUED FORM PAGE 1 While there is as yet no smoking gun of impropriety, MaltaToday understands that a medical practitioner revealed to the government's medical board – which assesses the medical suitability of govern- ment employees seeking re- duced hours over medical con- ditions – that one petitioner's medical certificates allegedly signed by the practitioner, had in fact been falsified. The episode led to a police investigation, with Grixti – a GP – being questioned by the investigators over this case. Grixti yesterday refused to answer email requests, Whatsapp and SMS texts and phone-calls, for a comment on the allegation that the pa- tient's certifications had car- ried falsified signatures. Police have also asked the social security department for information on a list of bene- ficiaries as part of an ongoing investigation into former MP Silvio Grixti. Sources close to the investi- gation said police have asked the department to provide it with the benefits paid out to a number of people. The investigation revolves around what police believe are fraudulent medical documents presented by individuals to the medical board that decides whether a person should be boarded out and receive an in- validity pension. Grixti, a general practition- er, is believed to have assisted constituents with the neces- sary medical documents to ap- ply for the invalidity pension. The former Labour MP re- signed from parliament on 20 December after news emerged that he was interrogated by police in relation to fraudulent medical documents. Grixti was released on police bail and the investigation is ongoing. Lawyer Franco Debono is representing Grixti. Grixti told his Facebook fol- lowers he had resigned from parliament as his priorities went beyond political life. "I do not want to occupy a par- liamentary seat at a time when I will not be focused 100% on representing my constituents and patients," he said. The Labour MP was elected for the first time in the 2017 general election on the third district. ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Former MP refusing to comment on allegations Silvio Grixti