‘Mario de Marco negotiated ITS concession at Castille’ – Konrad Mizzi

PN deputy leader Mario de Marco personally attended meetings at Castille on behalf of the db Group to negotiate part of the concession of the site of the Institute for Tourism Studies, minister Konrad Mizzi said today

In a tweet, Mizzi, under whose purview Projects Malta negotiated the concession with the business group, said that de Marco, in his role as the legal advisor of the db Group, had attended a meeting at Castille, during which he negotiated part of the concession of the ITS site.

MaltaToday had revealed how Mario de Marco, whose party has in parliament raised questions over the €60 million price tag for the land, had negotiated the ITS concession for the Seabank group with the government.

Mario Demarco nnegozja klawsola klawsola ġewwa Kastilja l-kuntratt tal-ITS għan-nom ta' db Group. Ipokrezija grassa.#SimonFalz kien infurmat

— Konrad Mizzi (@KonradMizzi) March 12, 2017

In comments to MaltaToday, de Marco, who had initially denied having been involved in negotiations with the government, subsequently confirmed that he had attended several meetings dealing with the concession of the St George’s land, which the DB Group will develop into a Hard Rock Hotel and luxury property believed to encompass a €300 million investment.

“On the ITS site project awarded to DB Group, the firm, including myself, as legal advisors to DB Group communicated with Dr Alex Sciberras, the lawyer engaged by the government, on legal aspects of the proposed concession,” De Marco had told MaltaToday, confirming his role in parts of the negotiation with Projects Malta, a department falling under the purview of minister Konrad Mizzi.

And on Sunday, the minister said that de Marco had in fact negotiated one of the contractual clauses included in the concession of the ITS site – a role which the minister said was tantamount to “blatant hypocrisy.”

De Marco had acknowledged that he had attended a minimum of two meetings held by Sciberras at Castille, within the offices of Mizzi, to discuss pending legal matters.

But MaltaToday is informed that he attended at least four meetings in 2016, going back as far as March last year, and at least one other meeting this year.

The PN leader had also told MaltaToday that the legal firm Guido de Marco & Associates – of which the PN deputy leader is a partner – had renounced its brief on its St George’s Bay project. Moreover, on Wednesday, MaltaToday revealed how the PN deputy leader had flagged the potential conflict of interest to PN leader Simon Busuttil two years ago, and that he gave up the brief before Busuttil asked him to choose.