No. 1/GRAFT SCANDAL: Allied Newspapers managing director has been taking money from Prime Minister’s chief of staff for years

The Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Keith Schembri, has been paying backhanders and kickbacks to Adrian Hillman, managing director of the Allied Group of Companies, publishers of the Times of Malta and The Sunday Times, for years on purchases made by the Allied Group of Companies (which includes Progress Press Ltd) from his business, Kasco Group.

Brian Tonna of Nexia BT set up separate companies for Keith Schembri and Adrian Hillman concurrently some years ago in a secretive offshore jurisdiction (not Panama), through which the money is laundered and hidden. The ‘twin’ operation is roughly similar to what Keith Schembri did with Konrad Mizzi in Panama.

Hillman went out on forced leave of absence from his office yesterday evening after a meeting of the board of directors. An independent inquiry into all purchasing transactions, going back years, has been commissioned.

Adrian Hillman, managing director of the Allied Group of Companies

Keith Schembri, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff