Matthew Xuereb
Police to charge JPM Bros for alleged bribery
The “twin towers” in Paola – one of the projects undertaken by JPM Brothers. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier
Contractors Jeffrey and Peter Montebello are expected to be arraigned in the coming days in connection with the bribery of Finance Minister Tonio Fenech’s former private secretary.
Noel Borg Hedley, 67, of Gżira, admitted in court last month that he received money from the Montebello brothers to waive fees they owed on the sale of under-declared properties.
The police said the brothers were being investigated and sources say they should be arraigned shortly.
Mr Borg Hedley, who served with Mr Fenech when he was still Parliamentary Secretary in the Finance Ministry, was conditionally discharged for three years and given a perpetual interdiction.
Mr Borg Hedley admitted to receiving bribes in 2008 from the contractors to reduce or waive fees owed to government departments falling under the jurisdiction of the Finance Ministry.
Mr Fenech has categorically denied any knowledge of or connection with the case. However, the case has still proved thorny for the Finance Minister not least because the contractors are the same ones he had hired to carry out renovation works on his house in Balzan. The job had ended in controversy after a subcontractor, Charles Magro, of Rainbow Projects Ltd, alleged that JPM Brothers had told him they were doing the renovation on Mr Fenech’s residence as “a favour” in return for the minister’s alleged help to enable JPM Brothers sell the Jerma Palace Hotel, an allegation Mr Fenech also forcefully denies.
The Montebello brothers were at the top of a stellar rise a few years back when they landed, in the space of a few years, a succession of large projects, from A3 towers near the Addolorata Cemetery in Paola, to the Belmonte Heights apartment block in Sliema and the Xemxija Heights project.
The Xemxija project ran into serious financial difficulty and remains on the drawing board, half of the Belmonte Heights property in Sliema was sold off after it remained undeveloped for years and the towers in Paola remain uninhabited years after being built.
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Mr Victor vella
Jun 8th 2011, 07:30
EFA urged all the Legge Cattolica Maltese to vote No for divorce and be counted. Now the old fox has to urge Antonius Fennecus to resign and be counted for the allegations that are brought against him. And Malta keeps drowning in dirt- Amen.
Cecil Herbert Jones
Jun 8th 2011, 03:40
Incredible!!!
Mr Robert Callus
Jun 7th 2011, 23:16
Corruption is a sin, and if God knows everything he doesn't need hard evidence.
Mr julian caruana
Jun 7th 2011, 19:13
Huti Maltin
ikfu tkellmu hekk, IL MADONNA SE TERGA TIBKI
T.F.
Mr Paul Caruana
Jun 7th 2011, 17:26
In any case the Paola towers will remain as a monument to the way things used to be done.....and I hope I am not being naive when I use the past tense!
Carmelo Azzopardi
Jun 8th 2011, 15:07
Definately the best neighbours ever.
No loud music
Can sleep at night
NO shouting and yelling
After all the neighburs at Addollorata,do not keep pets.
That is barking any time
Dopping at every corner and door
Malcolm Mizzi
Jun 7th 2011, 12:38
"the towers in Paola remain uninhabited years after being built." honestly don't know who would really want to live or use a premises with a view on a cemetery.
Mr Lawrence Mifsud
Jun 7th 2011, 13:05
At least it will be a green area for some more years to come. LOL
Mr Tony Camilleri
Jun 7th 2011, 13:45
Those towers were advertised with sea and country views.
What more would you want?
Perhaps they should have also included future and heavenly views?
Mr Andrew Camilleri
Jun 7th 2011, 21:15
Well, at least whoever lives in the Towers will have no problems with the neighbours!!
John A. Gauci
Jun 7th 2011, 22:20
Dear Malcolm, my bedroom window is over the Ghaxaq cemetery. I never had any problems with this. I prefer that my bedroom window is over this cemetery rather then another place where there is no peace of mind and where people are selfish.
Ms D Galea
Jun 8th 2011, 10:07
a flat with a view...sure, the cemetary, the mosque and the ONE antenna.
Mr Edmund Azzopardi
Jun 7th 2011, 12:32
This country really needs to pull its socks up in all respects.
PM Camilleri
Jun 7th 2011, 12:22
And then they complain that the construction industry is in crisis! Look at what's happened now. Half finished projects and uninhabited tower blocks. And yet these contractors still want to continue building.
They've turned Malta into one big concrete mess.
Mr Ivan Calleja
Jun 7th 2011, 15:11
Very well-said PM Camilleri.....that was exactly my comment on the article relating to the slowdown by the Malta Developers Association!! They just see money and more money infront of their eyes!! Its time to say THAT'S ENOUGH to the rape of OUR country!!
Mr twanny borg
Jun 7th 2011, 12:06
taht gonzi pn huwa min huwa jittiehdu passi tista' tkun imhallef. Alla qal se nohloq xi haga ghaziza aktar minni il-flus.
Paul Smith
Jun 7th 2011, 12:01
Has anyone told that ex-mayor now finance minister (LOL)
That you cannot eat Money!
Sandro Privitera
Jun 7th 2011, 11:31
Tonio, is it not ripe time to resign? Your laundry is dirty!
Mr Lawrence Mifsud
Jun 7th 2011, 13:07
No one needs to resign: unless he is framed on video whilst drunk.
Doreanne Zammit Caruana
Jun 7th 2011, 11:28
Such people should be made to pay for environmental pollution - it's a pollution to the Maltese sight to have similar unfinished projects! The MEPA should make them pay or take over the project off them if they can't pay a hefty fine!
Patrick Sacco
Jun 7th 2011, 16:43
As a resident of Paola it has always puzzed me as to who issued a permission for a 13 storey eyesore such as this, when all other houses in the same street are of only one storey!
What was MEPA doing when this eyesore was being built up?
Thus we have another case of two weights two measures!
And please when this case ends (hopefully soon) kindly start demolishing those horrendous triple towers...at once!
Mr Joseph Cauchi Senior
Jun 7th 2011, 11:28
It is rumoured that the Montebello brothers had won one of the biggest/grossest lotteries in Europe, some time ago.
JC.
Mr julian caruana
Jun 7th 2011, 19:08
haha joke of the day, dawk ghn adhom xmara ma tinxifx
Mr Andrew Camilleri
Jun 7th 2011, 21:17
Really, Mr. Cauchi? I wonder if that lottery was the last election in 2008? Only asking.
Ms Xixi Caruana
Jun 7th 2011, 11:12
One of the worst eyesores on the island!!!
P. Ciantar
Jun 7th 2011, 11:07
Give the open area space at Jerma to the people that has been deprived from them since the 80's and clear the mess left behind
Mr Tony Camilleri
Jun 7th 2011, 13:47
Totally agree wit you.
The area should be returned to the people not to some private speculator.
Stephen Koludrovic
Jun 7th 2011, 10:45
Would one ask, when will the Government, council, police or whoever, if there is anyone, that has the authority order them to clean up the Jerma mess that they left behind.
Mr Lawrence Fenech
Jun 7th 2011, 10:22
How about letting us know the sum involved both ways?
Tonio Bone
Jun 7th 2011, 10:11
It will be just another 'dust under the carpet' exercise. Now that Borg Hedley has taken the brunt of the matter, everyone else concerned will probably get a spanking and they can get on with their lives.
With regards to the project near the Addolorata Cemetery, it was clearly a case of someone taking decision whils't under the influence. Something like building a petrol station in Republic Street. I don't see this building being other than a commercial office block, but then some people may even surprise you go live there to enjoy to view (Cemetery, shipyard, traffic intersection, rooftops ecc, ecc).
Charles Sammut
Jun 7th 2011, 11:30
well..there is always a scapegoat. The BIG FISH always cover their filthy,dirty tracks !
Oh well..another suspended sentence and perhaps an 'interdet" or two or three...plenty more where they came from.
What the island needs is a "Tahrir Square" !!
...and the beat goes on...and the beat goes on....
Ms D Galea
Jun 8th 2011, 10:08
been reading Varist's facebook jaqaw?
Jon Agius
Jun 7th 2011, 10:08
And yet another case of corruption linked with GonziPN & Co.
David Magro
Jun 7th 2011, 10:22
Hemm xi dubju ? Dawn l-affarijiet jigru Malta biss taht il-PN...qaddisien
Tonio Bone
Jun 7th 2011, 10:42
Jon, for me it's more a case of putting money above everything else, and you don't have to be in the PN to be that kind of person. Corruption was born the same instant man learnt how to count! Right now PN are in power so they are under the limelight, but power is power and people have always, and will always take advantage of it.
Duncan Abdilla
Jun 7th 2011, 11:34
Sur Magro
inti bis serjeta tasal tghid li dawn laffarijiet jigru malta biss??? ghax jekk vera tahseb hekk ghandek bzonn tibda taqra naqa sky, bbc etc forsi tirealiza li kif qall is Sur Bone min ikollu il power hemm cans tajjeb li jaqa fin nassa tal korruzjoni..
Jon Agius
Jun 7th 2011, 12:51
Mr.Abdilla, the thing is that when any minister would be involved in scandals outside the country, he will resign. In Malta, it seems that it is written somewhere in the constitution that the more greedy and corrupt you are, the more immunity you will receive, especially if you are Tonio Fenech (ARMS, VAT etc etc etc). And then he uses the poor maid as an example of how clear his conscience is.
Marina Ciarlo'
Jun 7th 2011, 13:01
Prosit Sur Abdilla! Int mohhok hemm. Kulhadd, u m'hemmx, dak, dik u l-iehor, jew partit u iehor, jigi ttantat bil-poter u dunkwe l-flus u l-arroganza.
Il-poter b'hekk jiekol! Il poter jittrasforma l-hafna nies f'mostri:
* tal-arroganza,
* tas-'sess sfrenat,
* tad- drogi
* tar-rikatti
* tal-uzura
* ta' sexual harassment ecc.
Sfortunatament ftit huma n-nies li jibqghu idehhom indaf meta jitilghu 'l fuq.
Il-politika m'ghandha xejn x'taqsam. L- abbuz ta' kwalinkwe tip ta' poter huwa haga antropologika u kulturali. Ghalhekk ghandna nippruvaw kemm nistghu niggieldu kontra u nedukaw lil uliedna li meta tkun f'posizzjoni superjuri fuq haddiehor ghandek timxi bl-etika!
Li m'hi xejn hlief edukazzjoni bazika u sens komun!
Mr Matthew Grima
Jun 8th 2011, 11:48
Bravo Tonio Bone. I can't believe people still think that one is corrupt and the other isn't.
Mr marco caruana
Jun 7th 2011, 10:06
li kien ghalijja naqbad u nissekwestra dak il bini tar ritratt li hemm Rahal gdid u naddieh lill gvern biex jati appartament lil min ghandu bzonn....forsi xi darba jinqata l qziez f dal pajjiz !
Mr Alfred Cassar
Jun 7th 2011, 10:24
yes very good idea
Peter Bonnici
Jun 7th 2011, 10:33
x'aktarx li diga 'nhataf mill-Bank.
J. Schembri
Jun 7th 2011, 10:34
Li kien ghalija Marco , naghmel li qed tghid int imma minflok nitfa il-hafna awtoritajiet imxerdin f’bini tal-privat : jiguni f’mohhi L-MRA , l-Arms, l-Awtorita tax-xandir , Sedqa .....forsi xi darba jinqatghu l-qziez u l-hela f’dal-pajjiz!!
X’tahseb?
Tonio Bone
Jun 7th 2011, 11:28
J.Schembri spot on. Why not move Inland Revenue out of Floriana into that apparment bloke and redevelop the area into a heritage site and a sports venue! There is also ample parking in the area, especially opposite.
Tonio Bugeja
Jun 7th 2011, 12:40
Heeeee idea tajba- L-inland revenue intuh is-sular ta fuq....
ikun useful hafna ghax nibdew niffirmaw admission u jekk ma tiffirmax... you walk the plank.....ghac-cimiterju...LOL
Mr Matthew Grima
Jun 8th 2011, 09:19
If it had to happen I'd hope enemalta offices would be at ground floor, the suicide rates would sky rocket if not.
Mr Paul Cassar
Jun 7th 2011, 10:06
REST ASSURED THAT ALL................ BUT ONE.....................WILL BE FOUND GUILTY.............................AND
FOR THE 1000TH TIME................................................ONLY IN MALTA..............POOR WE.
john sofia
Jun 7th 2011, 09:41
it's a matter of conscience my friends....just that
Charles Micallef
Jun 7th 2011, 09:35
In view of the conviction of his former private secretary and the connection with the building works at the minister's private residence, the least that someone in the position of a Minister is to move aside until his name is cleared or otherwise!
Stephen Forster
Jun 7th 2011, 10:39
Exactly...However fat chance of that happening
Ms Maria Vassallo
Jun 7th 2011, 09:26
Xi kruha ta' bini?
Fejn kont MEPA?
Veru li l-Bank issekkwestra dawn l-apartamenti ghaliex ma nbieghux?
Issa, se jigri minnhom?
Ghaddew mill-gharbiel tal-'Health and Safety Authority'?
Dawn u mistoqsijiet ohra jridu jigu mwiegba?
Mr Lawrence Fenech
Jun 7th 2011, 10:24
@Koludrovic
Lunatics.
Stephen Koludrovic
Jun 7th 2011, 09:22
Who in his right state of mind would buy an expensive apartment, with a birds eye view of a cemetery, a derelict shipyard,an open refugee camp and the busiest traffic intersection on the island.
Mr Lawrence Mifsud
Jun 7th 2011, 13:11
I wonder1 Why were these buildings built, in the first place? Surely there was a marketing research carried out. Or, was there enough profit for the developers, just by building them?