Car leasing company challenges Transport Malta tender awarded to alleged kidnapper

The runner-up in a Transport Malta car leasing tender is challenging the award of the contract to a company owned by Christian Borg, who faces kidnapping charges

Christian Borg had his company's operating licence suspended by Transport Malta in 2019 and yet he was still awarded a tender for the supply of 41 vehicles by the same authority (Photo: Facebook)
Christian Borg had his company's operating licence suspended by Transport Malta in 2019 and yet he was still awarded a tender for the supply of 41 vehicles by the same authority (Photo: Facebook)

A car leasing company is challenging the award of a tender by Transport Malta to a company owned by Christian Borg, a man facing kidnapping charges.

In a judicial protest signed by lawyer Peter Fenech, Davico Ltd is claiming that the authority should have never awarded the tender for the supply of 41 vehicles to Princess Operations Ltd.

Davico had submitted a bid but classified second and the tender was eventually awarded to Princess Operations in April this year. Davico’s previous protestations were turned down by the contracts review board and the court of appeal.

In its latest challenge, Davico is arguing that Christian Borg had his operating licence for the international franchises Goldcar and Rhodium suspended by TM in January 2019. This suspension was confirmed by the revision tribunal in July 2022.

Davico is claiming that Princess Operations was not authorised to submit its offer for the contested tender in 2020 since the operating licence was suspended.

The judicial protest further states that it is “inexplicable and alarming” that the same authority that suspended the company’s licence did not take this “extraordinary” circumstance into consideration when determining the outcome of the tender.

The tender document itself excluded companies that were guilty of “bad professional behaviour”, the judicial protest reads.

The judicial protest is asking Transport Malta to end the contract with Princess Operations and proceed to award the tender to Davico as the company that classified second.

The judicial protest was filed against Transport Malta, the director of contracts and the permanent secretary in the finance ministry.

Princess Operations was officially awarded the 41-vehicle tender by Transport Malta on in April this year after Christian Borg along with five others - Tyson Grech, Luke John Milton, Thorne Mangion, Burton Azzopardi and Jeremy Borg - were arrested in January and charged with the abduction and assault of a man.

Court proceedings revealed that the accused had threatened to cut off the man’s fingers and rape his sister.

All six are currently out on bail and the case is ongoing.

Christian Borg owns several companies including No Deposit Cars Malta Ltd, Zing Cabs Ltd, Zing Rental Ltd, Princess Holdings Ltd, Princess Operations Ltd and Princess Construction Ltd. In the past, he was behind the car hire franchises Green Motion and Gold Car Malta and through Princess Holdings he is now operating the Sicily By Car franchise.

Amidst the turmoil surrounding Borg and his associates in relation to the abduction in Rabat, Borg resigned from director of the company, ceding it to former Labour Party photographer Joseph Camenzuli.

Camenzuli shares a passion for exotic animals with Borg but the closeness of the two was evident in court, when Camenzuli offered to act as a third-party guarantee for Borg in case of bail, saying he knew him for five years and could vouch for him.

Despite ceding his directorship, Christian Borg remained secretary of the company and the sole shareholder through another one of his companies, Princess Holdings Limited. Data obtained through the Malta Business Registry also confirms that Borg is the Ultimate Beneficial Owner of Princess Operations.

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