Comments on: Prime Minister’s chief of staff plays on public ignorance of how official distributorships work

By: anthony

anthony — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 07:26:00 +0000

Dan hasibna lkoll cwiec jewilla.
Halliel ordnat.

By: V Zammit

V Zammit — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 07:02:00 +0000

In reply to Daphne Caruana Galizia. Thanks and granted. Though I doubt whether it cannot as against it will not. The crux of the matter is in the difference.

By: Daphne Caruana Galizia

Daphne Caruana Galizia — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 06:59:00 +0000

An official distributor will appoint anyone they think can best bring in the business. In corrupt countries, official distributors appoint companies with close ties to the power networks or government. When the corruption is at Third World levels, as in certain countries today and as Malta was in the 1980s, there is not even any attempt at being discreet about this.

By: Daphne Caruana Galizia

Daphne Caruana Galizia — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 06:52:00 +0000

In reply to Anthony Charles. There is a considerable difference between a commission agent and an official distributor. An official distributor may itself have commission agents working for it. An official distributor is the manufacturer's representative in that area; a commission agent is not. Official distributors are responsible for all aftercare service and so on; commission agents are not.

By: Daphne Caruana Galizia

Daphne Caruana Galizia — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 06:49:00 +0000

In reply to V Zammit. Crane Currency can and will do no such thing. It is a private company and in its recruitment practices, it is not accountable to the public.

By: V Zammit

V Zammit — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 06:47:00 +0000

In reply to Daphne Caruana Galizia. You may be perfectly right. But I wished Crane confirmed or otherwise Mr Schembri's statement.

By: Anthony Charles

Anthony Charles — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 06:27:00 +0000

I remember that in the past such businessmen used to be called “commission agents”.

By: Daphne Caruana Galizia

Daphne Caruana Galizia — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 21:37:00 +0000

I doubt it. Those who work in senior positions at a currency printer have got to be people without a track record of screwing their previous employers over.

Nor can they be people who have a track record of setting up companies in secretive jurisdictions to cheat the authorities AND their employers while colluding with key government officials in illicit operations.

By: A Attard

A Attard — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 21:24:00 +0000

AND conflict of interest extends far beyond whatever present connections are declared. Family ties, friends, financial and commercial interests, be it from the past, present and or in the future which could link a person to present actions are all considered as conflict of interest.

By: Godfrey Leone Ganado

Godfrey Leone Ganado — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 21:14:00 +0000

Very well said, Daphne, and I can confirm what you have written, from my 40 years of audit experience.

Keith Schembri, like his boss, thinks that he can take everyone for a ride, and I hope that he is not talking nonsense to cover up for the possibility of evading tax on any commissions he may earn and, in the process, populating one of his secret companies.

I suggest that the Director of Revenue files a copy of this issue in Keith’s personal tax file for any future reference on his income tax declarations.