Updated to include health minister’s comment

While under police investigation for money laundering and other criminal offences, accountant Nigel Scerri was simultaneously receiving direct government contracts worth €16,000 per month through Mater Dei Hospital.

Research by The Shift, based on 2024 Health Ministry procurement records, reveals that Scerri was handpicked by Mater Dei’s top management to handle the hospital’s accounts.

Instead of issuing a public call for accounting services—available from hundreds of qualified professionals—the government granted repeated direct orders to Scerri, bypassing standard procurement rules.

Public procurement regulations cap direct orders at €10,000, and the use of repeated contracts to avoid public tenders is explicitly prohibited. Yet, Scerri was awarded successive monthly contracts between June and November 2024, amounting to €100,000.

It remains unclear who authorised these irregular payments.

Mater Dei’s highest-ranking official, CEO Keith Attard, was appointed in May 2024. While Scerri managed the hospital’s finances—handling millions in monthly expenditure—police interrogated him and his wife, Mikaela, as part of an ongoing investigation.

In January, the Scerris, owners of financial services firm Ennesse, pleaded not guilty to laundering €1.5 million. The case was triggered by tax authorities flagging their extravagant lifestyle.

A tax department audit found that between 2016 and 2024, the couple acquired €12 million in property and maintained 26 bank accounts, some offshore.

Investigators also noted that a €1 million loan used to fund real estate acquisitions was repaid within a year—raising further suspicions.

Scerri hit the headlines with a controversial plan to donate prime Sliema real estate to the Soup Kitchen Foundation for a social project housing abandoned youths.

Neighbours opposed the proposal, accusing him of attempting to disguise a commercial venture as charity. Amid the backlash, the Foundation abandoned the project. Scerri denied any wrongdoing.

Health minister responds

Following the publication of the story, the Minister for Health and Active Ageing said: “Contrary to what was listed in the Government Gazette (the source of The Shift’s article), this story relates to the payroll system at Mount Carmel Hospital, and not Mater Dei Hospital. Therefore, it is fair to assert that Mater Dei CEO Keith Attard has no relationship with this story. Mount Carmel Hospital has extended the services of Ennesse Ltd since 2022. Negotiated procedures have been in place while a tender for accountancy services is being drafted.”