A huge 154-page file relating to the contract given to Special Cleaners Ltd for what is called “maid service” at the Law Courts, was tabled in the House of Representatives last week.
Little, except rather useless information can be gleaned from the mass of documents. There is absolutely no inkling that the members of the adjudicating board ever suspected that behind the winning company there could be other persons who are well acquainted with the Courts for other more notorious reasons.
The estimated cost would have been Lm6,000, from Recurrent Vote 12, Judicial. The adjudicating board was composed of John Sant, Director Supply Services, chairman, Raymond Scicluna, Peter Micallef and the minister’s representative, later identified as Joseph Cini.
The tender notice was published in the Government Gazette on 9 June.
Four offers were received by 5 July and the board met on 12 July to consider them.
The cheapest bid was by Mr Clean (MCCS, Joseph Degiorgio) for Lm1.92 an hour, but the bid bond was dated 6 July, the day after the closing date, and the board unanimously decided to disqualify the bid.
Special Cleaners Ltd came second with a bid for Lm2.14 per hour.
The two other bids were from Omajco Cleaners Ltd – Anthony Vella – for Lm2.75 and Bad Boy – Claudine Ellul Sullivan – for Lm2.65.
Four other companies – Clientec Cleaning Services, General Cleaners, Group H and Eme-Hygene – collected the documents but did not tender.
Special Cleaners has an authorised share capital of Lm2,000 and an issued share capital of 500 ordinary shares of Lm1 each, 20 per cent paid up. Emanuela Camilleri has 250 ordinary shares and Pierre Camilleri an equal amount; Emanuela Camilleri is the director and secretary.
The work was carried out by Margaret Cutajar and Sabrina Camilleri – daughter of Mario – who worked from 3 to 8pm, as well as Kerstin Fenech and Mary Alexandra Agius.
An ETC document dated 1 August lists the employees of Special Cleaners – all of them are registered as part-time except Emanuela Camilleri who is registered as full time chambermaid–owner – and all are women.
The bank guarantee of Lm500 was put up by Bank of Valletta’s tal-Ibrag branch and withdrawn when the contract was abruptly suspended on 17 October “for security reasons and public order”.