The Board of Inquiry headed by Judge Emeritus Philip Sciberras is widening its investigation onto other areas of Mater Dei hospital to establish whether weak concrete was also used to build water reservoirs.

Sources in the Ministry for Energy and Health told this newsroom that the investigation took a new twist following the analysis of the Foundation for Medical Services (FMS) report dated 5 May 2010, which had identified problems with water reservoirs possibly built using weak concrete.

Correspondence seen by this newsroom between FMS and contractors Skanska Malta, who built the hospital, clearly show that the costs to repair the reservoirs amounted to €200,000 but the same exchange between the two failed to establish that the problems were due to weak concrete.

The sources within the Ministry told this newsroom that in a letter to FMS dated 26 July, Skanska refused to foot the bill claiming that FMS could not prove that the problems in the reservoirs trace back to bad workmanship on their part.

Since FMS could not prove liability on Skanska, at the time the issue was raised, it tapped into its budget approved by the Health Ministry in 2009 and paid for the repairs.

Research carried out by this newsroom revealed that the agreement signed between FMS and Skanska in 2009 provided for €140 million in funds to complete the already delayed Mater Dei project in time of which only €2 million was effectively used by FMS.

Sources within the Ministry for Energy and Health insisted that it is yet not clear if the problems with the reservoirs at Mater Dei were related to weak concrete, however “it's clear that some people at Mater Dei helping with the inquiry would like the investigation to put the blame on former FMS officials at all costs”.