Two people accused in connection with the hospitals inquiry have resigned their respective directorships within the companies which run the Convenience Shop retail chain and the new Shoreline Mall.

Lawyer Kevin Deguara resigned from his position as Director and member of the Audit Committee from Convenience Shop (Holding) PLC and from his position as Director of Shoreline Mall P.L.C., while fellow lawyer Jean Carl Farrugia resigned from his position as Director of Shoreline Mall P.L.C. as well.

The announcements were made by both companies through the Malta Stock Exchange, as they are bound to do so by the Malta Financial Services Authority’s Capital Markets Rules.

Deguara and Farrugia were both charged with having participated in a criminal activity and criminal association, and document fraud, including documents related to VAT. 

They pleaded not guilty in an 11-hour court sitting last Wednesday which will likely have to be repeated after a prosecution blunder rendered it null.

Neither the Convenience Shop nor Shoreline made any reference to the court charges that their now former directors were facing.  Convenience Shop in fact said that Deguara’s resignation was “for personal reasons.”

“There are no matters which require disclosure in terms of the Capital Markets Rules concerning the above resignations,” Shoreline said in its company announcement.

The resignations took effect from 30 May in the case of Shoreline and 31 May in the case of Convenience Shop – after the duo had appeared in court for the first time.

Neither company was named in the Vitals inquiry, and neither of them are facing any charges or freezing orders associated with it.

In the case of both companies, Benjamin Muscat was also announced to have resigned, but Convenience Shop specified in its announcement that Muscat was retiring having reached 70 years of age.

Deguara had already resigned his directorships with two other companies associated with DIZZ Group, these being D Shopping Malls Finance and Dizz Finance plc.  On the other hand, he remains the President of football club Zabbar St Patrick’s, which was recently promoted to the Premier League.

Convenience Shop said that Richard J Saliba and Patrick Hall would be appointed to their Board instead of Muscat and Deguara.  Shoreline said that South African entrepreneur Ryan Otto would be appointed as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors.