Audit firm Nexia BT has been given close to €19,000 to update a study it carried out a few years ago on public conveniences, the Times of Malta has learnt.

The contract was awarded by the Foundation for Tourism Zones Development, which falls under the political responsibility of one of the audit firm’s clients, Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi.

Dr Mizzi used Nexia BT to secretly set up a Panama company in 2015, via the Panama Papers law firm Mossack Fonseca.

Nexia BT had conducted a €17,000-study on public toilets in 2016.

A spokesman for Dr Mizzi said the previous analysis carried out by Nexia BT was based on a different scope and covered other locations. The first study had to be updated because the previous demand analysis was based on different assumptions by local councils and the cleansing services directorate. Collection of primary data did not form part of the previous engagement and, hence, was included in the new feasibility study, the spokesman said.

The localities selected by the foundation to form part of the previous engagement focused on centrally-located regions like Ħamrun, Balzan, Birkirkara, Santa Venera and Qormi.

“The selection of localities was reconsidered for the new feasibility study and, hence, a new selection of localities was made, focusing specifically on touristic zones around Malta.

This was done based on the recent increase in tourism numbers”, the spokesman continued.

Information obtained by the Times of Malta on the basis of requests made under the Freedom of Information Act have shown that Nexia BT was given upwards of €1 million in public contracts since Labour returned to government in 2013, over half of which were given by the Office of the Prime Minister and entities under its control.

The Prime Minister’s right-hand man, Keith Schembri, has been a client and associate of Nexia BT’s managing partner Brian Tonna for over 20 years.

Read: Tourism Ministry refuses to list Nexia BT contracts

Data provided by the Tourism Ministry under the Freedom of Information Act also shows that Nexia BT benefitted from over €300,000 worth of consultancy and advisory contracts from Project Malta, another entity falling under Dr Mizzi’s political control.

Projects Malta is responsible for major public-private partnership.

It oversaw the 2015 billion-euro deal with Vitals Global Healthcare to take over the running of three public hospitals and a controversial land deal that resulted in the eviction of the Institute of Tourism Studies from its St George’s bay campus. The land will now be used by hotelier Silvio Debono to build a hotel and residential tower, with critics saying Mr Debono was given the land on the cheap.

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