Joseph Muscat, John and Bastjan Dalli: corruption update

Joseph Muscat is slipping badly. The first sign was the way he wholly misjudged what the public reaction would be to his big-splash-university-signing-ceremony. The second sign, which is directly contingent on the first because he pulled it out of his hat to distract us from it, is the way he failed to foresee that his ‘hospital concrete scandal’ would turn into another slew of shock-horror stories about his consultant, protégé and fellow schemer, John Dalli.

His brother Bastjan, who had never been involved in construction, bought a concrete batching plant a few months before the Finance Ministry – when John Dalli was finance minister – issued a call for tenders for the construction of the state general hospital.

The contract was won by a consortium which then bought its concrete from Bastjan Dalli, despite having at least three batching plants of its own.

Bastjan Dalli supplied the concrete secretly at first and then openly.

Because everybody has been talking about this the past couple of days (in brief breaks between talking about that ‘university’), Joseph Muscat tried to pull another trick to turn the tables and slipped up badly again.

“The Foundation for Medical Services reached an agreement with the consortium to waive all liability,” he said. But John Dalli was health minister, and responsible for the Foundation for Medical Services, when that waiver agreement was signed.

In summary, John Dalli was finance minister and in charge of tenders when a consortium that had agreed to buy concrete from his brother won the tender for the hospital construction.

And John Dalli was health minister when the Foundation for Medical Services agreed with that consortium to waive all liability for flaws in the construction works.

Yes, John Dalli – THIS prime minister’s protégé.