|
Matthew Vella
A new board of directors has been appointed for the Foundation for Tomorrow’s Schools (FTS), the beleaguered arm of the Ministry of Education which undertakes the construction and maintenance of schools. Reports in MaltaToday had revealed how the FTS was at the centre of dubious and indiscriminate issuing of direct orders, and several officials lost their post following the allegations.
A recent decision has now seen two of its members, chairman Dr Conrad Thake and Mario Callus, no longer present on the board of directors. The board is now presided by Ray Fenech, Etienne Borg Cardona, Dr Peter Fenech, Alfred Rizzo and Joe Magro who have been re-appointed to the board of directors, whilst Marilyn Sciortino and Louise Aquilina are the new appointees.
At the time of going to press, MaltaToday had received no reply from the Education Minister as to what had led to both Thake and Callus not being re-appointed to the FTS board.
A magisterial inquiry is still underway related to the issuing of direct orders by the FTS, after Malta Labour Party education spokesperson Carmelo Abela reported the matter. Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera has undertaken the inquiry.
Allegations of indiscriminate issuing of direct orders followed after MaltaToday had revealed how a total of Lm401,886 had been invoiced by 57 different private companies, in the form of 483 direct orders by the FTS, between January 2002 and March 2003.
In the process, foundation CEO Alfred Ferrante had his contract terminated by the Education Minister. Ferrante, who claimed he had been a scapegoat throughout the entire saga, had been on a three-year contract as chief executive since September 2002. Another three foundation officials were also transferred back to the Education Division.
Investigations by MaltaToday also revealed that 16 companies and individuals hailing from Education Minister Louis Galea’s constituencies had been awarded at least 30 per cent (Lm116,800) of the total value of direct orders issued between January 2002 and April 2003.
Former director Mario Callus was also one of the alleged beneficiaries of direct orders from the now-defunct Auxiliary Training Workers Scheme, launched in 1987 to absorb surplus government workers into areas such as refuse collection and construction. The scheme, also part of Louis Galea’s ministerial portfolio, rented dumpers, bulldozers, cranes and excavators from private companies and individuals.
However, the Auditor General’s report for 1990 had claimed the open provision of Lm4 million voted for the AWTS expenditure went against standard governmental accounting practice, due to lack of control and documentation of transactions, suggesting that payments had been made for machinery which did not even exist and that direct orders were awarded to certain select individuals from Dr Louis Galea’s constituencies.
These included Callus, a former President of the Siggiewi PN club and today a member on the University Council, who was found by the Permanent Commission against Corruption (PCC) to have received Lm26 every day for renting out two dumpers to the AWT, totalling over Lm15,000 between November 1989 and November 1991.
He was just one of the ‘applicants’ from Louis Galea’s constituencies who provided 75 per cent of all rented machinery to the AWTS. The machinery was never bought, only rented, guaranteeing ongoing revenue for the ‘applicants.’ Investigations carried out during the time and a minority report by lawyer Tonio Azzopardi had also revealed there had never been any call for applications published in the Government Gazette.
matthew@newsworksltd.com
|
