Provider of billboard services to the Labour Party named ambassador-designate to Ukraine
John Debono, Malta’s ambassador-designate to Ukraine. His company provided billboards to the Labour Party during the general election campaign, though he did not wish to take calls and so I could not ask him whether this was done free of charge or against payment in the normal commercial manner.
Aiken Services Ltd shareholding
John Debono, whose company Customs Brokers Agency Ltd is the majority shareholder in Aiken Services Ltd (see yesterday’s story), which provides billboard services to the Labour Party (it is unclear whether against payment or not) and to the government (against quotation and payment), has been named Malta’s ambassador-designate to Ukraine.
Aiken Services Ltd was formed after the general election, in April last year, but during the election campaign another of Debono’s companies supplied billboards to the Labour Party, as did KAP Services which is now its fellow shareholder in Aiken Services, and other billboard providers.
Debono did not wish to take calls about the matter; I would have liked to ask him whether his company’s billboards were provided to the Labour Party free of charge, against payment at the market rate, or at a discounted rate.
‘Ambassador-designate’ means that he has been accepted by Ukraine, but has not yet presented his credentials to the head of state there. Ukraine currently has some very pressing problems to deal with.
Debono has been Ukraine’s honorary consul in Malta for several years and is familiar with that country.
He is involved in several businesses other than Customs Brokers Agency and Aiken Services, mainly through the Triton Group. He also owns the popular China Town lunch cafe/restaurant on the Mriehel industrial estate.
Given that he did not wish to take calls, I could not ask him whether he played any part in organising Malta’s high-level government meetings in Ukraine last autumn, when the prime minister, accompanied by then parliamentary secretary Edward Zammit Lewis (rather than his boss at the time, Minister Chris Cardona), visited Ukraine for a meeting with now-deposed president Viktor Yanukovych. Foreign Minister George Vella also visited in the week the riots began.
Yanukovych was scheduled to visit Malta a few days later, but the trip was cancelled because by then he was facing the start of the revolution that deposed him.
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What was it again what Alfred Sant used to say? Hbieb tal-hbieb? Klikka?
So it’s not only those who featured on campaign billboards who got iced buns, but also those who provided the billboards themselves.
It is really starting to become crystal clear how very opaque everything has become in Malta over the last year.
A very nice iced bun.
Do foreign governments and their embassies accredited to Malta take serious note of how child-like our government goes about appointing diplomats to represent our nation?
Is this a serious government? I am now more inclined to say that Europe’s youngest by one prime minister is no more than a mayor of a 420,000-strong local council administering our country like his PL mayors are running their fiefdoms based on ‘tal-qalba’ preferences.
Matteo Renzi, the YOUNGEST European PM being the mayor of Firenze is BY FAR more of a statesman than our PM thinks he is.
There is one word in Maltese which is apt for the present government’s performance: DARDARTUNA. And we will be making sure that our Saturday’s vote will scream it out well!
That answers the million-dollar question of how certain people become successful in such a short time whilst others bust their derriere only to make ends meet. So they say jekk tal-qalba mal-Labour jaqbillek.
[Daphne – Both company players in Aiken Services have been in business for many years.]
It is extremely unorthodox for an honorary consul to be appointed ambassador to the same state. As consul, he represents the interests of the foreign state, while as ambassador he represents the interests of his native state.
This is a clear conflict of interest, even if he does give up the post of Hon. Consul (which I doubt he will).
Diplomacy-by-businessman.
Some things never change.
I remember John and his brothers namely Ben and Chris as very hardworking boys and diehard Nationalists.
They are.
Ambassador-designate means that the Government of Ukraine, through the Foreign Office, has accepted his appointment as ambassador but he has not as yet presented his credentials to the president of that country.
Of course, due to the particular situation in Ukraine it is pertinent to ask which government accepted his appointment. Most likely it was that of the deposed president.
If so it is a bit ‘bold’ of him and our Foreign Office to still list him as Ambassador-Designate. The whole process will have to be repeated once there is a new president and government of Ukraine.
While normally an incoming government respects the acceptance of the appointments of ambassadors accredited to them by a previous government I have the feeling that in Ukraine, a new president and government will question all decisons made by the government of the deposed president.
Rest assured that John Debono popularly known as ‘il-Gandhi knows exactly how to manipulate and sneak his way around. Besides his wife is Ukrainian.
The law is only to be used to subdue the ‘others’, to eliminate the competition.
Henceforth there is only one rule: good or bad have one interpretation, that according to the grande capo (lower case intended).
As dear old Alfred Sant used chant: Hbieb tal-hbieb tal-hbieb u crieki fi crieki, fi crieki. Never so true as today.
John Debono, as you kindly point out, has been the Ukraine’s Honorary Consul in Malta since the early 90s. So what’s the problem, Daphne? It’s not like the Debono family were ever Mintoffians, were they.
[Daphne – The problem is the billboards which are likely to have been a free gift in return for some future consideration, Kevin, so don’t play the disingenue.]
And please, when you say that Yanukovich was deposed, be more specific. He had been elected in 2010 and illegally toppled by a fascist coup, aided and abetted by Western political and intelligence forces. Otherwise we’d think you’re stupid and uninformed.
And another thing. Is our jaw expected to drop when you tell us that the Labour government was having talks with Yanukovich’s government? Surely you must be aware that the EU itself was having trade talks with his government before they fell apart and the Soros-inspired protests began, leading to the coup. It was the elected government of the day, Ms Polly Anna. Today, we have an illegitimate Ukrainian government playing God, killing anti-coup protesters in the east and south of the country.
These people know no shame. The receiving countries must be so impressed with all those ambassadorial CVs.
What is worse is that the professionals, those who thought that they could make a career at the Foreign Office, those who have served as career ambassadors, have been stacked quietly in offices.
Mind you, there are exceptions here too, like the new permanent secretary who enjoyed some four promotions in a matter of 15 months.
There you go.
Or her predecessor, who agreed with Labour a full year before the election that he would become “their” permanent secretary, only to be appointed ambassador to Washington (on merit) by the previous administration even though he has always been an open Labour supporter.
After a disastrous year at the helm of what is now a totally demoralised and neutered Foreign Ministry, he posted himself off to the Netherlands. When he needed to be replaced, they passed over all the qualified professionals (including those called back to make way for the political appointees) and opted for somebody with neither seniority nor experience.
Am I missing something here? What riots? What revolution? I thought that George Vella said he did not witness any riots while in Ukraine, and he was right there, in Kiev.
Please do not mislead people about things which are simply not true.
So, again, it’s our (taxpayers’) turn to settle the bill no doubt.
Mhux vera. Vera li l-poplu hallas pero Joseph tieghi mhux halliel.
Daphne, could I have your email address please?
[Daphne – Yes, Caroline, it’s [email protected]]
Ah! That’s why there are billboard adverts of China Town all over Malta.
Yep family compagny.
He was a class mate in the early 80s at Stella Maris College in Gzira. He hails from Birkirkara, and he and his brothers were diehard Nationalists, who hated Labour with a passion. It seems like “Gandhi” has had a change of heart.
For years Debono has used his position in Ukraine to generate business for himself. He has even set up a film servicing company which is totally unrelated to any of his business activities and effectively keeps and profits from any business coming out of there.
He couldn’t possibly happen to be the same John Debono who owns the illegal villa in Mgarr ix-Xini?
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-08-19/news/another-illegality-nearbrangelina-film-set-6255935491/
I think he is, he own a film compagny something like that.
I’ll ask him.
By the way I’m his niece