From Dr F. Depasquale

We have been instructed to write on behalf of Robert Ciantar, an MLP St Paul’s Bay councillor and make reference to the letter written by Paul Aquilina, PN councillors co-ordinator, entitled ‘Local council winners, losers and the also-rans’ (TMIS, 17 February).

Our client, while refuting any allegations made by Mr Aquilina in his article, invites him to refrain from repeating any more disparaging and incorrect assertions, as these are clearly intended to discredit and diminish both the professional competences and capabilities of our client.

The allegations made wherein it was alleged that our client was given the contract of Project Manager by two Labour councils are totally unfounded and misleading.

As a matter of fact, had Mr Aquilina carried out his investigations prior to writing his article, he would have realised that the Hamrun contract was awarded to him when this local council then had a different majority and when the last tender was issued, he was the only person who bid for the contract.

As to the Mellieha contract, he was given a contract on the basis that his tender was the cheapest one offered; he was eventually outbid by another tenderer when the contract came up for renewal some three years ago.

It is thus both unfair and incorrect to tarnish our client’s reputation with false assertions intended solely to put him in a bad light with the public at large.

One trusts that the author desists from making any other false comments on our client’s personal and professional reputation and that the issue need not be taken to the local judicial authorities for their final adjudication.

Francesco Depasquale