Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/611961
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 6 DECEMBER 2015 3 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 In April 2014, the court of appeal in Bo- logna confirmed the recognition and enforceability of the Maltese court sentence ordering FDS to pay Ranger Ltd €107,000 and ad- ditional expenses. "The sum has now gone up to around €150,000 when taking into consideration interests and other legal expenses incurred," Mifsud said. His company, also known as Godwin's Garage, provided trans- port and machinery services to the Italian firm during the con- struction of the Parliament build- ing. Filiberti is claiming that it is fac- ing bankruptcy unless tangible steps are taken to find a solution but Mifsud insists that the com- pany is exaggerating its financial difficulties. "In an email correspondence with one of Filiberti's directors, I was told in no uncertain terms that I'm running after a fast train when I ask to be paid," Mifsud said. According to the FDS balance sheet approved on 30 April, 2015, the company made a profit of €5,693 in 2014 and its net assets stood at €122,876. In 2011, CFF Filiberti Srl was tasked by the BIB Joint Venture, the main contractor responsible for the construction of the Renzo Piano parliament, with the clad- ding of the façade while Q-Stone Ltd was nominated supplier of the stone. Q-Stone Ltd is also owed some €31,571 by Filiberti and subject to court proceedings initiated by the Maltese company. However, this week owner Ales- sandro Filiberti appealed to Ital- ian premier Matteo Renzi and President Sergio Mattarella, to assist the company in recouping the money it says it is owed by the Maltese government. The Grand Harbour Regenera- tion Corporation (GHRC), which handled the City Gate project, said Filiberti is expecting pay- ment for delays it itself caused. In reaction, the transport min- istry said GHRC does not have a contract with CFF Filiberti but with a consortium of companies (BIB JV) which also includes CFF Filiberti). "GHRC has received claims from BIB JV in relation to the said works and these have been evalu- ated by the Project Engineer (BO- VIS)," the ministry said. It added that progress registered by the stone works was one of the major reasons for the delays in the completion of the building and a claim has been made for delay damages against the contractor engaged to carry out the works. "In the reports prepared by the project architects, this JV has not yet today performed all the scope of works and there are a number of items that have to be under- taken. Though slight progress has been registered, these items are still pending." Originally, the Italian contrac- tor had complained of delays on the quality of the stone excavated from a Gozo quarry. Filiberti said one of the reasons for the delay was the continuous shortage of stone, which had to be quarried from a site in Ta' Klement, Qala. The material was then shipped in large blocks to the Parma plant where it was cut into thousands of different forms and shipped back to Malta. The Qala stone was used in large quantities for the internal finishes and to clad the two blocks from the outside. Piano's idea was to emphasise the Maltese identity in this prime location in the capital. From a technical perspective, the job was challenging because the stone had to be cut into more than 13,000 different shapes and then shipped back to Malta in more than 400 trucks. But Filiberti is claiming that it has suffered financially because it had to come up with numerous solutions at their own expense to mitigate the situation. "In reality, we ended up shipping more than 200 extra truckloads of stone to satisfy the client," owner Alessandro said, who complained back in 2014 that the company had not received a single payment for 11 months. News Maltese firms still awaiting payment for parliament stone Director of Godwin's Garage owed some €150,000 by Italian company, calls on Maltese government to intervene But Filiberti is claiming that it mitigate the situation. Alessandro said, who complained payment for parliament stone Footballer charged with domestic violence, court orders ban on name A professional footballer, whose name cannot be published by court order, was arraigned in court charged with domestic violence. The court heard that the couple, who live in Swieqi together with their three young children, have been facing marital problems. During an argument at their home in Swieqi, the husband allegedly struck his wife on the head with crutches. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail against a personal guarantee of €1,000. He was also ordered not to speak to his wife and to stay away from the matrimonial home. He must also sign the bail book once a week. A protection order in favour of the woman was issued. The couple's three children are aged six, four and one. Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona ordered a ban on the publication of the footballer's name to protect the identity of the victim and the chil- dren.