Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi has said that a legal team is currently in discussions with Skanska regarding the alleged fraudulent concrete situation found at Mater Dei Hospital and is preparing claims.
Responding to a Parliamentary Question by PN MP Jason Azzopardi, which led to a number of supplementary questions, The Minister added that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has also been in communication with the Swedish Prime Minister.
He explained that The Attorney General is currently drafting a Judicial letter and is also receiving help from a number of Maltese firms.
PN Deputy Leader Beppe Fenech Adami brought up the waiver which caused quite a political stir a few weeks back.
Dr Mizzi emphasised that the waiver, in his opinion, was not needed, as another waiver already existed. He argued that the inquiry had found clear indications of fraud and as such, puts government in a better position to go after Skanska.
The inquiry had been reopened and the Minister said that other persons have been interviewed and that they are hopefully close to concluding.
The situation revolves around low-grade concrete which was found at Mater Dei Hospital, used in the pillard.
PN MP Claudio Grech also asked whether government will go after the sub-contractors, to which the Minister explained that Skanska handled 4 out of 5 tests, and that the subcontractors used to bring the samples to the lab themselves and thus would prove hard to prove where the samples came from.
Dr Mizzi also highlighted that had there not been fraud, the waiver would have stopped them from going after Skanska, and in fact will still prove an uphil battle. “We will fight tooth and nail”.
PN MP Jason Azzopardi asked the Minister if he was aware of a conflict of interest, where a director of one of the bidders for a recent €200m contract for St Luke's and Gozo Hospital, BSP was a Foundation for Medical Services member, thus creating a conflict of interest.
In response, the Minister argued that the preferred bidder has no conntection with FMS, however one of the other bidders, not selected, had a director who had a short-term management agreement with FMS and is being looked into.