Former permanent secretary seeks damages, blasts Vitals expert's 'substandard' report

A former permanent secretary who stepped down after being charged over the fraudulent Vitals hospital deal is seeking damages from one of the experts appointed by the inquiring magistrates, claiming the expert’s report was substandard and full of mistakes.

This emerges from a judicial letter filed this morning against Jeremy Harbinson and Harbinson Forensics Limited by Ronald Mizzi’s lawyers, Stefano Filletti and Maurice Meli. 

Mizzi had stepped down as permanent secretary within the Economy Ministry in July, after a court ruled that there was sufficient evidence for him to face trial on indictment for his role in the hospitals saga.

“The expert’s report is replete with technical mistakes, factual errors, selectiveness in the collection of the evidence, mistaken hypothetical conjectures lacking in any basis and other serious shortcomings which are well documented,” reads the letter.

Mizzi also informed the court that the Irish forensics firm is currently in the process of voluntary winding up, a process which started on 11 October, according to a resolution signed by Harbinson himself. 

The lawyers explained that the letter was also being sent to the liquidator, in order to be formally registered as a creditor in the winding-up process, to whom the defendants would remain "directly and unlimitedly" responsible for damages.