Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/758493
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 4 DECEMBER 2016 News 3 Corruption allegations since early 2015 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The complainant explained to Caruana that the certifica- tion of design quoted in the tenders pro- hibited any other company from provid- ing the furniture being requested, because this particular certified furniture was pro- vided only by the Italian supplier working exclusively with Sandro Ciliberti. The complainant explained that it was impossible for other foreign suppliers to compete. The police have only been investigating the allegations made by Philip Rizzo about direct orders at the FTS when Edward Caruana was procurement officer. Malta- Today is informed that investigators have only recently been made aware of the Cili- berti link and will be investigating further. Many of Rizzo's allegations point to the fact that many of the direct orders is- sued by Edward Caruana needed his own brother's sanctioning before being direct- ed to the finance ministry. Rizzo did not provide any clear proof of corruption, but simply noted the plethora of direct orders, many of which were given the green light by the finance ministry, and the conflict of interest of the permanent secretary and his brother. In April 2016, Edward Caruana was ac- cused of demanding a €30,000 bribe in order to release payments owed to a Gozi- tan contractor, Giovann Vella, on works related to the extension of the Gozo sixth form. But Joseph Caruana had claimed that he did not feel the need to report the cor- ruption claims to the police. Instead, the police instituted charges against Vella for tarnishing Caruana's reputation. In March 2016, Ciliberti – known to friends as 'ic-Chilly' – hit the news when a small explosive device was placed out- side the garage of the house in Ġnien Xi- bla Street in Xagħra, Gozo where he and his partner were residing. His black Mer- cedes, with personalised number plates, was parked outside when the device ex- ploded. Investigators analysed Ciliberti's business links, particularly a beach con- cession awarded by the Malta Tourism Authority to Ciliberti in 2015 for the hir- ing of umbrellas and deckchairs at Santa Marija Bay in Comino. The contract was won by Ciliberti following a bidding pro- cess amid harsh competition. A few weeks after starting operations, he claimed that part of his property in Comino was dam- aged in an arson attack. Ciliberti is also involved in the construction business. Ciliberti has in the past formed part of the Valletta FC committee. In 2010, he was in fact one of seven individuals sus- pended by the Malta Football Association board for Control and Discipline over his involvement in scuffles that marred the BOV Super Cup match on 21 August, 2010. Rizzo and Bartolo accuse each other of lying On Friday, the Education Ministry said that in his resignation letter, Rizzo had accused Bartolo of failing to report cases involving allegations of corruption. In his damning resignation letter, Rizzo accused Bartolo of not telling the truth, knowing for a long time about wrongdo- ing by his person of trust and trying to dissuade him from formally reporting that wrongdoing. "He [Bartolo] repeatedly attempted to dissuade me from formalising my dis- covery of serious multiple wrongdoings (committed primarily by a member of your own family)... [Bartolo] has known the true reasons since the last week of April 2016, and he repeatedly attempted to dissuade me from formalising my dis- covery of serious multiple wrongdoings (committed primarily by a member of your own family) until the last day of Au- gust 2016," Rizzo told permanent secre- tary Joseph Caruana. But Bartolo has repeatedly said that he acted immediately as soon as he got to know about the allegations and following an internal investigation, which he had ordered at the end of August, there was prima facie evidence that Rizzo's claims against Edward Caruana were true and that these were passed on to the police. Stating that he has lost all trust in the ministry headed by Bartolo, Rizzo wrote in his resignation letter: "I have since come to the sad conclusion that the dif- ferences of ethics and appreciation and application of the law between myself and yourselves are unable to change through time, making it impossible for me to re- main in the position of CEO of the FTS." Bartolo categorically denied the accu- sations and pointed out that Rizzo had been given "full independence as to how to carry out the necessary reforms at FTS, including the transfer of personnel". In an email to Rizzo, Bartolo told him on 1 September that it was his duty as FTS chief executive officer to report the allega- tions to the police. The minister said there was no basis for Rizzo's remarks that there was pres- sure to stop him from making formal re- ports. Bartolo's letter was also copied to the Commission against Corruption, the Internal Audit and Investigations Depart- ment and the Police Commissioner. Emanuel Camilleri, chairperson of the FTS strongly denied that he blocked any report being filed to the police. Talking yesterday on Radju Malta, Bar- tolo said Rizzo was lying and that he had been betrayed, threatening him with legal action. "It's up to officials like him to re- port such cases right away... That's one of the reasons why they are paid well." This is not the first time that Philip Rizzo has been at the heart of a contro- versy. In the 1990s, as chairman of the St Luke's Refurbishment committee, he re- signed citing irregularities in expenditure after clashing with former minister Louis Galea. In 2012, he blew the whistle on the conflict of interest that IAID chief Rita Schembri had with private business in- terests. The story, broken by MaltaToday, led to her resignation. Under the Labour administration in 2013, Rizzo was made CEO of Employ- ment and Training Corporation, resigning in 2014 over a public social media embar- rassment, and then appointed CEO of the Foundation for Tomorrow's Schools. Attempts to contact Rizzo yesterday proved futile. In his damning resignation letter, Rizzo accused Bartolo of not telling the truth and knowing for a long time about wrongdoing by his person of trust Evarist Bartolo with his permanent secretary Joseph Caruana Sandro Ciliberti