Third whistleblower comes forward on Gozo works

Three Gozitan building contractors have come forward to substantiate claims that they were asked to carry out construction work for private residences or businesses by the Ministry for Gozo.

They are all seeking to be recognised as whistleblowers according to the Whistleblowers’ Act.

The third contractor has now come forward after MaltaToday reported three weeks ago that Anthony Debono, husband to former minister for Gozo Giovanna Debono, coordinated and organised works for constituents in Gozo by using private contractors and asking them to invoice their works on sanctioned government projects.

Giovanna Debono has vehemently denied knowing of the allegations that private works were paid for by her ministry.

The first whistleblower’s request to be legally recognised as a whistleblower has already been processed by the competent authorities, including the Attorney General Peter Grech. The claims by the whistleblower are now being seen to by Commissioner of Police, Michael Cassar.

The private works carried out for private residences before the national elections were the talk of town in Gozo, but the culture of omertà on the island prevented anyone, even in the media, from knowing the truth behind the culture of secrecy.

The revelations of how Anthony Debono would provide material from the Gozo ministry’s garage and public works depot to the private contractors surfaced when the private contractors failed to get paid.

The scam included the issuing of invoices for works already carried out in valleys and rural areas.

It is also being suggested that the constituents who were provided with the works may in fact have partly paid for the works. This would suggest that not all the works were being provided for free but a discounted rate.

As reported in MaltaToday, emails have been produced indicating that the first whistleblower who was owed the declared amount of around €50,000 had emailed to PN parliamentary whip David Agius for assistance.

The Nationalist Party has retorted by saying that it could not know that the claims for payment were related to any wrongdoing. On the other hand the Labour Party has called on the PN to come clean. David Agius argued last Monday on Reporter, aired on TVM, that he understood that the email referred to payments due for works for the Gharb local council.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has called on Opposition leader Simon Busuttil to suspend Giovanna Debono from the party, but Busuttil has replied that the timing of the news stories was timed to deviate attention from Muscat’s own governance issues with the €4.2 million bailout of the Café Premier leaseholders.