[WATCH] Elderly Ministry still analysing St Vincent de Paul audit report

The Elderly Ministry is still analyzing the National Audit Office report into a multi-million-euro management contract awarded by direct order at St Vincent de Paul.

Minister Michael Farrugia said the analysis is still underway, and would not be commenting any further until the conclusions are published.

“The most important thing for me is that work is done properly; the report is evaluated properly and the conclusions cannot be criticised,” he said.

The €274 million management contract was awarded by negotiated procedure to James Caterers and the DB Group after the companies won a separate tender to build a new kitchen at SVPR.

The NAO found that the contract had not been discussed by Cabinet, no approval had been sought from the Finance Ministry by SVPR and the negotiated procedure adopted was in breach of the law. The rates agreed with the companies were also found to be inflated.

Back in the beginning of May, the Prime Minister Robert Abela had said the NAO report was being analysed by the ministry for the elderly.

On Thursday, Nationalist Party MEP candidate Peter Agius lodged a formal complaint with European Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton over the direct order.

Agius said scores of local companies are being excluded from public tenders as government practices limit the market to a few known operators.

He said the continued abuse of taxpayer money cannot continue any longer. “The European Commission should monitor more closely Maltese public procurement practices to ensure wider competition, allowing scores of small Maltese companies to enter the now barricaded public tendering market.”

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