Who, me? Corrupt? – Kevin Cassar

“The references to fraud in the court judgement in this civil case refer to third parties and not to me …. besides there is no mention of corruption”.  This was Joseph Muscat’s latest pathetic attempt at denying guilt.

Meanwhile, his former consultant and successor Robert Abela was frantically distancing himself from the whole debacle – “I had no role” – for good reason.

Joseph Muscat is brazenly claiming he committed no corruption, deviously insisting he committed no fraud.  Mr Justice Depasquale’s weak judgement allows him to do so.  That judgement pinned most of the blame on Vitals and Steward.  They bore the brunt of the court’s brutal condemnation. Muscat was let off lightly, only being mentioned twice by name, as he triumphantly pointed out.  References to him are foggy at best.

But let us humour Muscat for a while.  Let us, for a minute, imagine that Muscat is a paragon of integrity. Let us take him for his word that he always acted in the interest of the people. If that were so, the only conclusion we can reach is that here was the most incompetent, the most incapable and dangerous prime minister we ever had. The scale of his bungling, clearly outlined in the judgement, constitutes criminal negligence.

The responsibility of the prime minister was to protect the interests of the people.  As the court outlined, the nation was duped and cheated by Vitals and then Steward on an industrial scale. The people were robbed of their hospitals and of millions of euros. Muscat’s responsibility was to protect us. He didn’t.

“Steward led government to alter the concession to include a €100 million default penalty and to make government assume all its debts.  Did the people in authority accept out of ingenuity or pressure?” the court asked.

Muscat is not mentioned by name here.  But he was in authority.  Steward’s first priority was to make money for their shareholders. They can’t be blamed for the unbelievable bonanza.  Muscat is to blame for signing up Malta to its most rotten deal.

Mr Justice Depasquale was right: “No person having the country’s good at heart would ever enter such a deal.” That’s an almighty telling off.  Muscat’s name isn’t mentioned here either. But it’s him the judge is referring to.

“The fraudulent behaviour persisted not only prior but also throughout the concession.  None of the projects were completed and some were not even started. Medical tourism was fictitious and never put into effect – it was all part of the fraudulent plot”, the judgement read. Who was responsible for ensuring the milestones agreed were reached? Joseph Muscat. And what did he do when they weren’t?

He, and his sidekick Konrad Mizzi, gave waiver after waiver, often before even consulting cabinet.

The court concluded that the fact that Vitals kept the 2014 Memorandum of Understanding hidden was “evidence of its fraudulent intent”. But it wasn’t just Vitals who kept it hidden. Muscat kept it hidden too. That MoU was also withheld from the NAO, until Robert Abela ordered it to be found. Muscat was complicit in that “fraudulent intent”.

“Doubts about the good faith of Vitals should have been flagged by all those responsible in government”, the Court noted. Muscat’s name is not mentioned. But it’s him the court is referring to.  He should have realised that Vitals was taking the whole country for a ride.

Instead, Muscat’s star minister “introduced changes only to the benefit of Vitals and certainly not the people”.

Muscat was responsible for that.

“No one else but the prime minister was to represent the republic, he was the one who had the obligation to seek rescission of the contract when it was evident that Vitals was not fulfilling its obligations”.  Muscat’s name is not mentioned. But it’s him the court is referring to. “The government incredibly went on to renegotiate the deal. The concessionaire was given an additional 4.5 years to do what they were meant to do – and still did nothing”.

 

At best Muscat failed the nation dismally. At best he allowed himself to be duped repeatedly and completely by Vitals and then Steward. At best he was a bumbling incompetent amateur.

But that’s very far from reality. These weren’t genuine mistakes of an ingenue. This was planned malicious criminal conspiracy.

Muscat knew what he was doing. Muscat’s evaluation committee carried out “no due diligence” according to the court. But Daphne Caruana Galizia did.  She highlighted the dodgy past of Ram Tumuluri. Muscat continued to cover up his tracks by refusing to publish the due diligence.

Caruana Galizia exposed the Memorandum of Understanding Muscat kept secret. She exposed Muscat’s plans to award the concession to Vitals. But it wasn’t just Caruana Galizia who raised concerns about Muscat’s plans. The medical association of Malta was so concerned about the deal that it requested the Parliamentary accounts committee to investigate the privatisation contract. The UHM refused to meet Vitals. Marlene Farrugia, and later Godfrey Farrugia, condemned the deal.

Muscat doggedly refused to publish the Vitals agreements. He wouldn’t even share them with the Unions. When the agreement was finally tabled in parliament it was so extensively redacted that whole pages were blacked out. He “deliberately hid” the concession milestones. Not even then Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne knew what was in those agreements. Is that putting the interest of the people first?

No. This was part of Muscat’s roadmap. He put Nexia BT on the Vitals adjudication committee. The very people who set up complex financial structures in secretive jurisdictions for Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri, Adrian Hillman, Cheng Chen and for the secret Egrant owner were chosen to decide who got the concession. They selected Muscat’s predetermined bidder – an entity with absolutely no health experience.

Muscat is no incompetent fool. The minor detail of tens of thousands of euro pouring into his personal BOV account from a company paid millions by Steward, just days after he stepped down is proof enough. This is the trademark of a skilled operator. He wasn’t fooled by Vitals and Steward. He was fooling us – and still is.

 

                           

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carlos
carlos
1 year ago

There are no words that can describe the corruptness of jm – the most corrupt pm Malta ever had.

how is it possible that this bastard who ruined Malta can still show his face?

when is the Maltese nation be refunded with the millions he stole from the hones worker?

don’t ever believe in consultancy fees he’s declaring – they’re on a smoke screen.#

Gvern korrott imexxi mill-hallelin fil-maqjel (parliament as per anglu farrugia)

Carmelo Borg
1 year ago

Kevin x inti tghid li Muscat KORROT.MELA TLIFT RASEK. Dak kien KORROT FIL 2019 META HA IT TITLU TA L IZJED PRIM KORROT TA DIK IS SENA. ISSA MA BAQAX KORROT. ISSA SAR ANGLU (minajr gwienah)

Donal
Donal
1 year ago

All that Daphne did to thwart the little twerp in his plans was more than enough for someone of right mind to think it would be a motive for a contract killing perhaps? Did the police not consider that minute slug as a suspect in the assassination?

makjavel
makjavel
1 year ago
Reply to  Donal

They are not allowed to. Every stone was turned , cleaned , polished .

A. Fan
A. Fan
1 year ago

Skillfully crafted and incisive, as always, Prof. Cassar.

Sadly, with the famously well working institutions all having been captured by the corrupt Muscat cabal, who’s going to investigate and prosecute PL’s bungling band of larcenous PEPs? The judiciary still appears to have some resemblance of a collective backbone left (with some glaring exceptions) but the same cannot be said for the PC or the AG, who are either haplessly inept or hopelessly beholden to the rotten PL apparatus. Seems that both of the latter need to be ousted before any real justice can be served.

Saviour Mamo
Saviour Mamo
1 year ago

Joseph Muscat should tells if he knew about Daphne’s warning on Ram Tumuluri.

Thomas
Thomas
1 year ago
Reply to  Saviour Mamo

I wouldn’t expect anything from Joseph Muscat when it comes to Daphne Caruana Galizia, and I wouldn’t believe his word either.

Mick
Mick
1 year ago

It’s time this shit bag was arrested and placed in “protective custody”. All his assets and bank accounts searched and frozen. The server in Californiavwith with Joseph Muscat. com on it should be sequestrated and systematically and forensically searched. All the accounts he has overseas, ( Dubai and BVI) etc should be frozen and the account records scrutinised. Unfortunately it won’t happen because we have a gender neutral PC and a poor quality inept AG

Blackthorn215
Blackthorn215
1 year ago

Surely it’s time for mass protests again ? Giving out every day about what is going on in Malta is having very little effect on the criminals who are behind all this.

Jeff
Jeff
1 year ago

Malta slides down the road of no return. You people can’t even raise your voice any more, the way you did decades ago. You have allowed the only country you can call home get to such a por state, that even the desperate third world immigrants seek other solutions. Who’s gonna clean your streets or homes, take your trash, serve you in restaurants or drive you then? Your own? I don’t think so.

Why? What are you afraid of? A few rotten apples that keep screwing your lives over and over again? What are they gonna do to you? Nothing.

You got the numbers. Raise you voice peacefully but firmly. Clean your own backyard, nobody else is gonna do it dor you.

Simon
Simon
1 year ago
Reply to  Jeff

The basic foundations for people to raise the voice are not there – critical thinking and education are totally missing in Malta.

what prevails is a village / Lilliput mentality.

Joseph
Joseph
1 year ago

Wiccu u sormu dan il-bniedem u l’acolytes , l’injorant, l’ghazzien jibaghtulek.

Winston Psaila
Winston Psaila
1 year ago

Prof. Cassar, a brilliant piece of writing which totally exposes the nudity under the emperor’s new clothes.

Thomas
Thomas
1 year ago

Joseph Muscat isn’t just ‘fooling us’, he’s also fooling himself in believing that those who are not with the PL don’t see through his cheap game of blame, deflect, distract and all his efforts in order to escape responsibility.

The whole matter also questions the quality of the legal advice given to Muscat and the person who gave it, probably knowing that the whole aim wasn’t to get the best in accordance with the law, but in order to circumvent it by all legal means. It wasn’t in the interest of the country, it was merely in the interest of himself and those involved in that deal, otherwise his legal advisor must have known that a contract without a legal exit door is a foul one and should be legally challenged. The PL always said on that matter that Malta can’t exit that contract. I wouldn’t be that sure because a cunning lawyer would certainly find a way to legally challenge such a contract with the aim to get the contract declared as null and void. Bears the question of who’s defending the State anyway? Not the PL which is in govt, as it appears in this case.

"Having a mind to think"
"Having a mind to think"
1 year ago

Let’s believe he’s not a fraudster, a criminal.

Then, I’m thinking: what is it that he might be??

An accomplice? No, he sought “legal advice”.

An imbecile!? Might be, but it’s not typical of him. And, if he sought legal advice, followed it and came ‘clean’, then it’s his legal advice who might be a fraudster, a criminal!

A saint?! He has the face of it, sometimes! ‘Miskin’: I pity him? Why is it that the Maltese are criticising ‘the Saint’!?

The ‘invincible’? ….cioe ‘invictus’?! What’s in a word? He just wanted to have a simple tattoo, and thought it was cool to write a single word!

The friendly guy next door!?! Yes, he have lots of friends, in similar circles: Yurgen, Stivala, Portelli, Keith, Konrad, Gaffarena, Gasan, Paul, Siemens, the Greek Contractors of Power Station, the Greek & Italian ex-PMs; friends in Montenegro (wind & solar Sector); in Azerbaijan; in China, in Korea, in Singapore, in Switzerland, lawyers in London! They all know he’s a badass guy! Tanto meno that when, miskin, he was forced to resign from PM, they kept employing him on part time jobs, so he can make a living, ‘miskin’.

Food for thought.
Min ghandu widnejn, ha jisma.
Min ghandu ghajnejn, ser Jara.
Min ghandu mohh (mhux vojt), ser jahseb.

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