Records kept by the Q Stone Ltd, the company that supplied the stone blocks used in the new Parliament building to Italian company Filiberti, show that it never kept its previously agreed upon monthly quotas, a court heard.
Q Stone Ltd Director Mark Vella testified in court today, in a case it initiated against Filiberti for not paying the Maltese company for their work.
During his testimony, the Q Stone director said that his company was awarded the contract on February 14, 2011. Dr Franco Galea, appearing for the Italian firm, indicated that according to the Malta Financial Services Authority, Q Stone was registered four days after the contract was signed.
Mr Vella admitted that this could be true, given that documentation takes time to be processed, however said that they had been in talks regarding the contract a year prior.
He said that Q Stone had two employees, and the company was specifically set up for this particular job.
The details of the contracts as per the tender changed when quarrying began, he said. Q Stone purchased the stone blocks from Road Construction Ltd, who operates the Gozo quarry. The stone would then be taken to a place in Marsa, washed by Q Stone and Halmann employees, and would then await Filiberti to choose the stone. The stone not used for the project would be sold to others, he said.
Q Stone is demanding around €300,000 for the services it provided.
Mr Vella said that Q-Stone was not the company who tested the stone, but rather that it was Terracor Ltd.
The defence submitted the records from Q Stone and said that Q stone never reached the established amount per month.
During cross-examination, reference to Q Stone’s audited accounts was made. The director said he was not in a position to explain them, but said that each invoice was issued against the volume of purchased stone.
Dr Galea indicated that Q Stone missed the monthly quota established in the contract. In a quick response, the director said that the Italian firm was responsible for arrangements regarding delivery, stating that no truck ever left empty.
The case will continue on 21 March.