A slander case against a Gozitan contractor has been put off pending police investigations into allegations of fraud and corruption by a former Foundation for Tomorrow’s Schools senior official.
The slander case was instituted by former FTS official Edward Caruana and surveyor Robert Ciantar against Giovann Vella. At a sitting earlier this week, Mr Caruana’s lawyer, Stefano Filletti, informed the court, given police investigations in connection with the allegations made by the foundation’s former CEO, Philip Rizzo, that his client would prefer a postponement in order to “get in line” with ongoing developments.
The court upheld the request and put off the sitting to March.
It was in summer 2015 that, in the presence of Education Minister Evarist Bartolo, Mr Rizzo alleged that Mr Vella had been asked for a bribe of €30,000.
According to Mr Vella, who had been working on an extension of the Gozo sixth form, Mr Caruana told him that €30,000 would pave the way for Mr Ciantar to clear pending payments for the works done.
Both Mr Caruana and Mr Ciantar denied the allegations and reported the matter to the police, who started slander procedures against Mr Vella.
In the meantime, the police started investigating the claims of fraud and corruption, involving hundreds of thousands of euros, made by Mr Rizzo in relation to Mr Caruana. Among other things, the police are looking into invoices connected to a sizeable property in Rabat that belongs to Mr Caruana.
Mr Rizzo stepped down from his FTS post late last year, and in his resignation letter, he also accused Mr Bartolo of trying to dissuade him from reporting the matter to the police.
Mr Bartolo denied having tried to prevent Mr Rizzo from reporting the abuse allegedly committed by Mr Caruana, a long-standing canvasser of the minister.
Mr Caruana was subsequently transferred and eventually suspended himself on full pay.
Mr Bartolo refuses to shoulder political responsibility despite having himself recommended Mr Caruana’s recruitment on a person-of-trust basis.