Technoline was fraudulently acquired using concession funds, court hears
Prosecutors have claimed that Technoline Ltd, which was granted an exclusive procurement contract by Vitals Global Healthcare, had been fraudulently acquired by another company using concession funds illicitly loaned to it by Steward Healthcare
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Prosecutors have claimed that Technoline Ltd, which was granted an exclusive procurement contract by Vitals Global Healthcare, had been fraudulently acquired by another company using concession funds illicitly loaned to it by Steward Healthcare.
This emerged during the compilation of evidence against disgraced former politicians Joseph Muscat, Konrad Mizzi, as well as Muscat’s Chief of Staff Keith Schembri, eleven others and nine companies which continued this morning, picking up from where it left off yesterday.
A number of witnesses gave evidence before magistrate Rachel Montebello today, their testimony being largely focused on one aspect of the fraudulent hospitals concession to Vitals Global Healthcare - the construction of a cyclotron to simplify the supply chain of medical radioactive isotopes.
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Towards the end of the sitting, prosecutor Francesco Refalo made submissions on whether the court should declare that it had seen sufficient prima facie evidence to justify the defendants being indicted and eventually tried by the Criminal Court.
The inquiry conducted by magistrate Gabriella Vella had examined the involvement of Technoline and Gateway in detail, said the prosecutor.
Gateway had been loaned €5 million by Steward to acquire GAE Holdings and Technoline. Refalo told the court that the €5 million had been fraudulently paid using funds intended for the concession.
Technoline was then made the sole provider of medical equipment to the hospitals, which meant that there was a prima facie ground for indictment, argued Refalo.
MaltaToday has previously reported that public funds from the Governments’ public-private partnership with Vitals Global Healthcare (VGH) had been used in the acquisition of medical equipment supplier, Technoline, and that investigators believed that the company which acquired it, Gateway Solutions Ltd was intended to be owned by former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri and disgraced former minister Konrad Mizzi.
Auditor Jonathan Vella had, together with fellow auditor Chris Spiteri, created false documentation and made false declarations to a public authority, added the prosecutor.
The evidence showed that Vella had been in contact with several individuals, including some of the accused in these and connected proceedings, and had been assisting Spiteri in some cases. “He was aware of the crimes and had been assisting their commission,” the prosecutor submitted.
Taumac Ltd’s lawyer slams ‘dangerous’ prosecution practices
The court was told today that Taumac had sold its shares in MTrace to the concession - to Vitals Procurement Ltd in Jersey, for the same price that it had acquired them. This fact indicated that Taumac had been holding the shares on behalf of third parties, which was identified as a Jersey-registered company related to Vitals.
“We have a voluminous inquiry, a detailed report by the inquiring magistrate, detailed reports by the experts in the inquiry. All this had led the inquiring magistrate to say not ‘investigate further,’ but ‘prosecute,’” Refalo said.
But Taumac's lawyer, Veronique Dalli, condemned what she said was the haste with which the charges had been filed. “Someone abdicated their responsibilities. Had anyone sent for a representative from the company, they would not be here today, but neither the experts, nor the inquiring magistrate had sent for them and strangely neither did the police,” said Dalli.
The company was facing a solitary charge: money laundering and the AG had requested a freezing order of €62,500, said the lawyer, questioning how the AG had arrived at this figure. “There is nothing in the evidence about it. Taumac is only mentioned in an expert’s report, stating the dates that it was set up and the dates it was closed.
“Had the investigators done their job, they would have sent for Taumac and asked them about this odd-looking transaction, ” said the lawyer.
“Had anyone bothered to investigate, they would have seen that Malta Enterprise had ordered Taumac to withdraw from the deal.”
This was because Taumac’s representative had informed Malta Enterprise that the company was being investigated in Italy over illegal dumping of waste, of which it was later acquitted, Dalli said.
Malta Enterprise had suggested that Taumac transfer its shareholding to another company in order for it to retrieve the sums it had already invested.
“There was a simple explanation for the transaction and had the AG done its job properly and bothered to ask Taumac about it, the explanation would have been immediately apparent.”
Dalli argued that there was “no tangible evidence” against Taumac, which had only been mentioned en passant in the inquiry and had been “completely extraneous” to VGH , having left the project.
“It is extremely dangerous to press charges in this way,” warned the lawyer. “Did nobody bother to check the company’s accounts on the MBR, order a search at its offices?…I submit that with respect to Taumac, there is no case to answer.”
The case will continue on June 25.
The compilation of evidence will continue on June 25 at 9:30am. Matthew Farrugia
“It is extremely dangerous to press charges in this way,” said the lawyer. “Did nobody bother to check the company’s accounts on the MBR, order a search at its offices?…I submit that with respect to Taumac, there is no case to answer.”
Matthew Farrugia
The evidence showed that Vella had been in contact with several individuals, including others accused in these and connected proceedings, and had been assisting Spiteri in an audit capacity and company secretary in some cases. He had been aware of the crimes and had been assisting their commission, says the prosecutor.
Taumac had sold its shares in MTrace to the concession - to Vitals Procurement Ltd in Jersey, for the same price that it had acquired them. This indicated that Taumac had been holding the shares on behalf of third parties, in this case, Vitals’ Jersey company.
“We have a voluminous inquiry, a detailed report by the inquiring magistrate, detailed reports by the experts in the inquiry. All this had led the inquiring magistrate to say not ‘investigate further,’ but ‘prosecute.’”
Taumac's lawyer Veronique Dalli makes submissions, arguing that the proceedings showed haste and that someone had abdicated their responsibilities. Had someone sent for a representative from the company, they would not be here today. Neither the experts, nor the inquiring magistrate had sent for them “and strangely neither did the police.”
It is facing a single charge : money laundering, and nothing else. The AG had requested a freezing order of €62,500. “How was this amount reached?” asks the lawyer, telling the court that there is nothing in the evidence about it. Taumac is only mentioned in an expert’s report, stating the dates that it was set up and the dates it was closed.
“Had the investigators done their job, they would have sent for Taumac and asked them about this odd-looking transaction.”
Dalli makes reference to Dr. Josie Muscat’s testimony, who said that Malta Enterprise had approached him to join the cyclotron project. He had withdrawn in 2015 after feeling something was off.
“But if anyone had bothered to investigate, they would have seen that ME had ordered Taumac to withdraw from the deal.”
Financial institutions continuously request updated due diligence. One of the standard questions is whether they have been convicted or are under investigation. Taumac’s representative had informed ME that it was under investigation in Italy for illegal dumping of waste. It was eventually acquitted in Italy, added the lawyer.
After being asked to withdraw, Taumac asked ME what would happen with the investment it had already made in the project.
“There was a simple explanation for the transaction and had the AG done its job properly and bothered to ask Taumac about it, the explanation would have been immediately apparent.” Matthew Farrugia
He cites a number of judgments on the subject of when a court of compilation can decree on prima facie.
With regards to Technoline and Gateway, the inquiry had gone into some detail, says Refalo.
He refers to the loan given to Gateway by Steward so Gateway could acquire GAE Holdings and therefore acquire Technoline in the process.
This, including the €5 million loan, was all paid fraudulently, using the funds which were meant for the concession, he says.
Technoline became the sole provider of medical equipment to the concession, and this means there is a prima facie ground for indictment, argues the prosecutor.
Matthew Farrugia
Edward Gatt informs the court that Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri are leaving it up to the court.
Lawyer Shazoo Ghaznavi informs the court that Clarence Conger Thompson is not contesting prima facie.
However, Sciacca Grill will be contesting prima facie, announces lawyer Franco Debono.
Karl Cini and Nexia BT announce that they will be submitting to the court’s judgement too, as does Ivan Vassallo in his personal capacity, Pierre Sladden and Eurybates Ltd. Matthew Farrugia
Gateway Solutions’s auditor Malcolm Mifsud testifies next. He had been appointed from 2021 onwards, he says.
He confirms that the accounts show the company had an outstanding loan balance of €690,325 out of over €5 million. That was paid in full by 2023, and interests of €814,511 on the €5 million loan had also been paid.
The magistrate asks who had provided the loan.
After leafing through the file for a few minutes, the witness reads from the documents in front of him: “Steward Malta Ltd.” An addendum refers to Steward Health International Ltd, he says.
The outstanding amount was €785,073 in 2020.
He confirms that the loans had been against interest.
The loans had been repaid, in full, to Steward by the end of last year, he confirms. Matthew Farrugia
“What happened after that notification?” asks the lawyer.
Clarification and documentation starts being collected. A subsequent notification was also filed about technical matters.
“The process is that a permit is issued to construct the building. Then another for testing and finally one for production.” The initial go ahead was given in April 2017. No authorisation was issued for installation of equipment. It was not requested, he says.
In April 2017 an expert was brought in from overseas, but then everything seemed to stop. There were meetings. The inspections were carried out on the structure only. “Not the cyclotron?” asks Azzopardi. “The cyclotron was still in boxes…To us the process had stopped.”
Later works were noticed as going on at the site, which turned out to be remedial works to prevent the ingress of water. No further work on the cyclotron was carried out, he says. Matthew Farrugia
“It depends on the use. If you are going to export the product or sell to a wholesaler, you need a permit from us. If you’re producing it as extemporaneous preparation for Mater Dei patients only, you don’t.”
The court asks whether a permit had been applied for. “I don’t believe so.”
Witness continues: “When operating a cyclotron you might need marketing authorisation. You might not have a licence but fall under the rules of extemporaneous preparations.”
The Magistrate asks what had actually been done at this stage.
“The only thing done was a long time ago, my people told me that there might be interest from Malta Enterprise in the production of radiopharmaceuticals and as an authority we ensure that we have the capacity to provide this service to the country.”
Prof Serracino Inglott had never heard of MTrace, he said, when asked whether the name was familiar.
The magistrate added that she had given this decision in view of the testimony that it had heard in today’s and yesterday’s sitting.
Azzopardi formally asks the court to hold the site visit, with the stated aim of proving that the cyclotron had been built, contrary to that stated by the inquiry.
The magistrate points out that at this stage, the court was looking at prima facie and did not require the details Azzopardi was requesting.
“When you were engaged, what state was the site in?”
“Garage, like shell form.”
He had attended a meeting with Mtrace who had been representing St. James Hospital and Brian Bondin.
On 15 July 2015, the statement was completed and eventually presented to the Environmental and Resource Authority. He had been instructed to invoice Mtrace. The only invoice issued to Mtrace was for €650, which had been settled two years later.
Refalo asks whether he was aware of what was in the containers. Radioactive isotopes for research activity, he says, reading from the paperwork. Sealand SPA had paid for the service, he says.
Answering a question from Refalo, he says the cargo was hospitals-related and that the company had been paid by MTrace.
The Cyclotron facility structure had already been built when he started working there. He said that on 15 December 2017 he had seen packaging outside the building which he was told contained the cyclotron machine.
Answering a question from prosecutor Francesco Refalo, he said that Brian Bondin had spoken to him on behalf of Mtrace and engaged his company to carry out the works.