Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1519882
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 1 MAY 2024 NEWS LETTER OF INTENTION Mariusz Florin Ban, sole Director of BMF SERVICES LTD., hereby declares his intention for the company to register for an Employment Agency licence in accordance with article 23 of the Employment and Training Services Act, 1990 (Act XXVIII of 1990). The activities proposed to be carried out are the following: 1) Recruitment Consultancy 2) Interviewing, selection, and placements of candidates in employment 3) Recruitment of persons from abroad to employment in Malta or in an EU member state 4) Recruitment of persons in Malta for employment in Malta or in an EU member state 5) Advertising of the filling of vacancies 6) Keeping a register of applicants for employment Official The Office Address of the premises at which the employment agency or employment business is to be carried out is; St. Vincent, Triq San Filippu, Birzebbuga Company Registration Number: C 101213 NATIONALIST Leader Bernard Grech called out Prime Minister Robert Abela's "political terror- ism" comments as its own "ter- rorist attack", calling upon the government to let the courts do their job in the search for justice. "'The institutions work.' That is what [Labour] always told us," Grech said. "But now that the institutions are doing their job, they are at- tacking them," Grech said while reiterating the PN's "trust" in the judiciary system. "We are holding you responsi- ble... for every abuse to stop the progress of justice and for the ter- rorist attack you are launching on our courts." On Sunday, Prime Minister Robert Abela warned the judi- ciary not to engage in "political terrorism" amid growing specu- lation that ex-PM Joseph Muscat could face criminal charges for his role in the Hospitals' scandal. In 2023, a landmark civil judge- ment struck down a deal between the government, Vitals Global Healthcare and Steward Health- care, describing it as "fraudulent" and ordering the return of three hospitals to the government: St Luke's, Gozo General and Karin Grech. Criticising Abela for forgetting his Ministerial duty to the judici- ary to protect institutions and to see that they are respected, Grech claimed that the PM's comments are an attempt to distract the courts from their job. "The court, which has already stopped the theft of millions in this case... is the same court which is being attacked by Robert Abela, the Prime Minister of our country." Both Robert Abela and his pre- decessor Joseph Muscat – who was Prime Minister when the "fraudulent" Hospitals deal was signed – have "done everything to stop justice," Grech continued. Turning the PM's own words against him, Grech accused Abe- la of an act of "terrorism" for his attempt at distracting the courts. "The Prime Minister is still do- ing everything he can to stop us from getting back the popula- tion's €400 million... and to stop the revelations of who is respon- sible for the fraud. "For the Prime Minister, the population has no right to dis- cover who was behind Malta's largest fraud case in history." Grech called upon the Attorney General and Police Commission- er to ignore the PM's comments and to continue along the path of justice, as the population de- serves. "Justice needs to be done with- out the dragging of feet. It needs to be done in full view and not in secret. Justice needs to be done; if you are Prime Minister, an ex- Prime Minister, or a citizen; jus- tice does not care who you are." Grech slams PM Abela's comments as a 'terrorist attack' to stop justice Bernard Grech (Photo: NETnews) protagonists in the crosshairs into a memorandum of under- standing with the investors. This MOU was even used by the investors as a bargaining chip when talking to financial institutions in a bid to seek finance for their plans. Even- tually, the blueprint of the proposed investment used by the investors was adopted, al- most lock stock and barrel by the government in its request for proposals – which was the public competitive process to choose the eventual conces- sionaire for the three hospi- tals. Edward Scicluna The former finance minister, who is now governor of the Central Bank of Malta, came in the crosshairs because his ministry would ultimately give the financial go-ahead for such projects to get off the ground. The NAO had concluded the due diligence on Vitals was lacking and very superficial, which begs the question as to why the finance ministry did not come down heavily on the project given the commitment of millions of euros in public funds it would entail. Additionally, Scicluna, like the rest of the Cabinet, had failed to stand in the way of the side agreement Mizzi had reached with Steward Health- care in the summer of 2019 that meant the American out- fit would have to be paid €100 million by the government of the contractual agreement was annulled by the courts. Keith Schembri The former chief of staff in the Office of the Prime Min- ister has denied any direct in- volvement in the negotiations over the hospitals deal. How- ever, Schembri was Muscat's enforcer and the go-to person in government. It is highly unlikely that Schembri's fin- gerprints are absent from this deal. Indeed, Schembri had good relations with some of the Vitals investors. Lawyer Wasay Bhatti, who ran the two Swiss compa- nies from which Muscat was paid consultancy fees after he stepped down from PM, had also bragged about his prox- imity to Muscat and Schem- bri. One email exchange, in which Yorgen Fenech, who is charged with mastermind- ing Daphne Caruana Gali- zia's murder, sought Bhatti's assistance to transfer funds in foreign jurisdictions, refer- ence was made to "a common friend". This friend is presum- ably Keith Schembri. Media reports, including those by Daphne Caruana Galizia back in 2015, had shown how the same investors who won the contract for the running of three hospitals had already signed a memorandum of understanding with the government