Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1540988
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 NOVEMBER 2025 NEWS CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 A police investigation was launched that led to seven persons being ar- raigned. However, George Farrugia— the go-between who facilitated the bribes disguised as commissions—was immediately granted a presidential par- don to turn State's evidence. Farrugia is one sibling from the John's Group family, who was being sued by his brothers over fraudulent practices. The information that led to the scandal came from the cache of documents that had been languishing in court as part of the civil case Farrugia's brothers had insti- tuted against him. George Farrugia would later declare, the illegal commissions he started pay- ing in 1999 set in motion a chain of kickbacks he would continue paying up until at least 2006. Farrugia said he had paid these bribes to various Enemalta officials. Although prosecutions against minor players at Enemalta have not been successful, the main accusations, against former Enemalta chairman Tan- cred Tabone, his consultant Frank Sam- mut, and oil bunkering partners Francis Portelli and Anthony Cassar, remain pending 12 years on. All accused deny the charges and insist they are innocent. Going rogue behind his brothers' backs Similarly, the case against George Far- rugia's brothers is only now reaching its final stages with the brothers filing their concluding submissions through their lawyer David Farrugia Sacco earlier this month. The brothers have denied the accusa- tions against them, insisting their broth- er went rogue behind their backs by setting up a nominee company, Aikon Ltd, of which he was ultimate beneficial owner. The company had a Swiss bank account at the Edmond de Rothschild Bank in Geneva, to further hide Farru- gia's illicit actions. The bank account was used as a slush fund to pay bribes to Enemalta officials. In his testimony before the court, George Farrugia admitted that his brothers did not know about Aikon Ltd and its Swiss account but insisted they were aware of his actions. The broth- ers outright denied any knowledge of George Farrugia's actions, insisting they had sued him long before the oil scan- dal became public, when they realised, he was siphoning off funds due to the family firm Power Plan Ltd to his own company Aikon. Invoices submitted as evidence show that George Farrugia and his wife Cath- erine Farrugia issued multiple invoices on the letterhead of Power Plan but with banking details of the Swiss account held by Aikon. According to court testimony given by Christopher Farrugia, the son of one of the accused, his uncle George would, for Brothers of man at heart of Enemalta Oil trader George Farrugia, who was at the heart of the bribery scandal involving Enemalta officials, acted behind his brothers' backs and used a nominee company presidential pardon to tell all while his brothers, who were the first to institute legal proceedings against him after they discovered the fraud, were charged with complicity. Former Enemalta chair Tancred Tabone (left) during a hearing of parliament's Public Accounts Committee that dealt with the oil procurement scandal at the state-owned entity. Tabone is charged with taking bribes and the case against him is still ongoing.