Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/779073
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 29 JANUARY 2017 12 News MATTHEW AGIUS THE Maltese courts have upheld a claim filed by lawyers Michael Kyprianou (Malta) Ltd against the company Medical Health Manage- ment & Consulting, for services it rendered in the prospective sale of St James Capua Hospital. Michael Kyprianou had asked the court to enforce a contractual clause entitling it to reimburse- ment, at an hourly rate of €100, for its services after the sale of St James Capua hospital did not go through. When the St James deal fell through, Michael Kyprianou is- sued an invoice for €39,058 in April 2015, which had remained unpaid. In November that year, the com- pany filed a sworn application, ex- plaining that it had been engaged by Medical Health Management & Consulting (MHMC) to negotiate the sale of St James Capua hospital. It explained that the sale was not concluded and it had therefore in- voiced the defendant company for the 331 hours of work performed, at the contractually agreed rate of €100 per hour. VAT at 18% ac- counted for the remaining €5,958. As MHMC and its representa- tives had never appeared in court to contest the case, the court up- held the claim. According to documents sub- mitted in court, legal representa- tion of MHMC is vested in Syed Imranullah and Irfan Iqbal, both US citizens. Had the sale been suc- cessfully completed, Michael Ky- prianou stood to earn 0.5% of the value of the sale and any business subject to it. Vitals 'connection' According to company records, MHMC is owned by the New York company Healthcare Information Technology Consulting Group (80%) and Shaukat Ali Chaudry (20%), a Pakistani businessman and resident of Malta. HITCG is in turn owned by Irfan Iqbal and Syed Imranullah, both of New York. At this intersection of the busi- ness world, Shaukat Ali Chaudry's name also crops up in interests af- fecting Malta's private and public healthcare system: he is connected to Vitals Global Healthcare, the company that will run three small Maltese hospitals, through VGH's main funding partner, Bluestone. In December 2014, VGH's owner Oxley Capital, an investment man- agement firm, opened Bluestone Investments Malta. In May 2015, the company opened subsidiaries Vitals Global Healthcare, Vitals Global Healthcare Management, and Vitals Global Healthcare As- sets But with Shaukat Ali Chaudry's own Malta company – Pivot Hold- ings – Bluestone also opened Crossrange Holdings, a com- pany that owns Gozo Interna- tional Medicare, and Gozo Global Healthcare. All companies were also opened in December 2014. All these Bluestone subsidiaries share the same audit firm, Cross- bow Services. On his part, Shaukat Ali also owns Global Assets Holdings, a company opened back in 2010, and Medical Health Management & Consulting, which he opened in November 2014. MaltaToday had also reported that Shaukat Ali Chaudry and Vi- tals' director Sri Ram Tumuluri had embarked on a private ven- ture, seeking €50 million in equity for a renewable energy project. The two men gave a presentation of their plans to a Norwegian re- newables firm's chief officer, to sell a 24% stake in a renewable energy project, which was unconnected to Vitals Global Healthcare or Malta. But both men spoke of the Vitals PPP being valued at €2.8 billion in Malta. Vitals Global Healthcare will be refurbishing and expanding the Gozo general hospital, as well as the Karen Grech and St Luke's hospitals to provide beds for both Maltese patients as well as pay- ing foreign patients. They are ex- pected to invest over €200 million in the project, but the government will also finance the outsourcing of health services to the tune of €50 million a year. St James sale The prospective sale had made the news in 2015 when the com- pany, owned by former National- ist MP Josie Muscat, had to deny claims that it wanted to divest it- self of burdensome operations in Libya. Muscat's son and managing di- rector Jean Claude Muscat had stressed that the international op- erations were always run by a sep- arate and distinct company man- aged separately from the Maltese operations. "The truth is that the interna- tional operations of St James Hos- pital are managed by a separate structure which focuses specifical- ly on the operations in Libya and Hungary. "Saint James Hospital Interna- tional did face difficult times four years during the Arab Spring Rev- olution and is facing difficult times today with the current domestic turmoil in Libya. However this has not placed any burden whatso- ever on the local operations of the Group." Additional reporting by Matthew Vella American investors ordered to pay legal fees for failed St James bid YANNICK PACE ALTERNATTIVA Demokra- tika (AD) has called for a legal framework to regulate MPs when they join private companies after their term in office has ended. AD chairperson Arnold Cassola said the recent Lowenbrau case had exposed the underlying problem of politicians working for com- panies they were meant to be regulating. "After Joe Borg left his role of EU Commis- sioner and joined a fisheries lobby group, the Commis- sion established rules that prevent commissioners and people holding certain roles from joining companies and lobby groups within two years of them leaving their position." The Greens cited John Dal- li's employment with Marso- vin and Karmenu Vella's en- gagement with the Corinthia Group as examples. AD called for parliament to include a provision in the Standards in Public Life bill that is still being discussed in parliament. "It's disappointing that this bill has been left pend- ing for over two years. It's a shame that this law does not include any provisions for these types of conflicts of interest," Cacopardo said, arguing that such dubious practices needed immediate regulation. In addition to this, AD reit- erated their belief that poli- ticians should be engaged on a full-time basis in order to further reduce the risk of conflicts of interest arising. POSTS OF HIGHER CLERICAL OFFICERS AT THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL The Office of the Attorney General Agency is receiving applications for posts in the grade of Higher Clerical Officers. The selected candidates will be employed for a fixed term on a full-time basis and will be required to work for a minimum of forty hours per week. Applicants must be in possession of a recognized qualification at MQF level 5 with minimum of 60 ECTS/ECVETS in Legal Studies, Public Administration, Management, Human Resources or a related area, or an appropriate, recognised, comparable qualification. Letters of application, including a detailed CV, should be submitted and addressed to: The Administration (JobsPlus Permit 43/2017) Office of the Attorney General, The Palace, Valletta or Email: ag@gov.mt by not later than Thursday, 9th February 2017 noon. American buyers associated with Pakistani businessman also connected to Vitals Global Healthcare owners Greens demand revolving door rules The St James Hospital in Sliema: its owners were negotiating its sale with two American-Palestinian entrepreneurs At this intersection of the business world, Shaukat Ali Chaudry's name crops up in the same interests affecting Malta's PPP healthcare system: