MIA doubts claims of MFSA probe into airport data leak

Malta International Airport’s former chief executive, Markus Klaushofer, has claimed that he is assisting in an investigation by the financial regulator into allegations of leakage of sensitive information in Malta International Airport, a public listed company.

Klaushofer was sacked from his position in January 2015 and subsequently filed a claim for unfair dismissal in Malta, after refusing a €400,000 golden handshake.

In a statement to MaltaToday, Klaushofer said he had now been approached by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) to assist it in “investigations concerning leakage of information in MIA, which is a public listed company, directly to Vienna International Airport”.

Klaushofer has stated that he would resist “aggressive demands” from VIE to transmit sensitive information from MIA, and that he will be substantiating his claims with the necessary statements and information to the MFSA.

MaltaToday could not independently verify the claim. A senior MFSA official said that such investigations were confidential and that it was not possible to disclose any information on whether or not an investigation was taking place.

But MIA chief executive Alan Borg dismissed Klaushofer’s claims. “The company states in no uncertain terms that it has not been advised by the MFSA or anyone else of any investigation whatsoever and believes that even if merely as a matter of regulatory courtesy, the company would have been the first to know about such an investigation. Accordingly, it dismisses Mr Klaushofer’s statement as simply extraordinary. In any event MIA would, had any of its regulators to conduct any investigation, co-operate with the regulator to the fullest extent allowed by applicable law and regulation.”

Klaushofer has told the Industrial Tribunal that his dismissal was motivated by VIE’s demand for regular access to MIA’s sensitive financial data, making it privy to the data to the exclusion of all other shareholders, including the government of Malta, the holder of 27 million shares in MIA.

He said that he stopped the practice, something that was normal procedure under his predecessor Julian Jaeger – now a senior official at VIE. “My stance did not go down very well with [MIA chairman Nikolaus] Gretzmacher and I believe that when Jaeger referred to a bad atmosphere between myself and the chairman, he was referring to my decision to stop the flow of sensitive information to VIE.”

MIA has hit back at Klaushofer, accusing him of providing confidential data to an interested buyer seeking to acquire SNC Lavalin’s share in MIA.

Gretzmacher claims that Klaushofer supplied Antin Infrastructure in Paris with adjusted traffic forecasts, ostensibly to have the consortium offer a higher price for the airport’s shares which would be acceptable to VIE, the majority shareholder; and to become “friendly” with the new investor in an attempt to retain his executive position.

VIE holds 57.1% of the shares in Malta Mediterranean Link (MML), the airport operator which altogether owns 40% of MIA. MML’s other shareholders are SNC Lavalin, whose shareholding VIE is now expected to acquire; and the Nuance Group, whose representative is Maltese entrepreneur Michael Bianchi.

In October, the Viennese prosecutor dismissed a criminal complaint filed by VIE against Klaushofer for allegedly using his influence to buy a watch from a MIA outlet at a reduced price. VIE claimed Klaushofer benefited from a €3,000 discount on an Omega watch from one of the duty-free shops. But the prosecutor moved that the Vienna Regional Court of Criminal Matters reject VIE’s complaint. VIE has filed an application to continue proceedings.