Italian stone supplier appeals court decision on Parliament facade payment

The legal wrangle over non-payment between a Maltese stone supplier and the Italian company entrusted with building the facade of the new parliament building in Valletta has continued with Parmese company CFF Filiberti filing an appeal against a judgement ordering it to pay €31, 500 to Q Stone.

The two companies are embroiled in several legal proceedings, with Filiberti accusing its Maltese supplier of supplying it with inferior quality stone and Q Stone accusing the Italians of non-payment. Last February, presenters from Italian TV programme Le Iene had ambushed the Prime Minister as he attended an event, asking him questions about the issue.

Judge Lawrence Mintoff had previously upheld Q Stone's claim, in the absence of proof to the contrary being exhibited by the Italian company. Although CFF Filiberti had filed an appeal in July last year, this had been dismissed on technical grounds.

CFF Filiberti is insisting that it had been notified with the wrong date for the hearing - 3rd September 2015, when it should have been 18th May 2015. For this reason it could never have filed the appeal correctly, argued the company's lawyers.

Chief Justice Silvio Camilleri, judge Giannino Caruana Demajo and judge Noel Cuschieri, presiding the Court of Appeal in its superior jurisdiction will give a decree on the issue on the 27th May.

Lawyer Franco Galea is representing CFF Filiberti in the proceedings, while lawyer Maxilene Pace is legal counsel to Q Stone.