Comment from Victor Bonello, who had reported Jimmy Magro to the Permanent Commission Against Corruption

Victor Bonello’s comment, below, was posted this morning beneath this piece about Jimmy Magro. He is the man who reported Magro to the Permanent Commission Against Corruption, for asking for a 10% cut on a tender of a quarter of a million euros.

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I regret to say that most of the journalists in this case got over excited by the report issued by the Permanent Commission Against Corruption, and did not bother to do some homework before letting off their guns.
Not so long ago, this same person was involved in another scandal.

There were also other reports that he was a director in a company accused of slave labour.

Now I also read he was, until he was removed last week, the sole person responsible for the procurement of buildings and materials in the new Life Science Park. I cannot even imagine what he has cost Malta in terms of loss of EU funds alone.

Also one very important point everyone forgot to address: what happened with the tender involved in this particular case? The machine was bought by Mr Magro until all investigations were under way. Who is going to pay for that?

Why did I not follow Mr Magro’s advice and offer the machine he suggested I should offer in my tender? The answer, for those who might be interested, is that the government had already bought from this same Spanish company three machines at a cost of almost one million euros. Two of them, which are at Ta Qali, never worked.

Finally, who is going to make good for my losses? I have been advised by the government to take legal advice. I have been fighting this battle for almost 3 years, and am exhausted both mentally, physically as well as financially.
Trying to be honest is practically impossible in Malta.

I now understand further why people get involved with these corrupt characters, and how much easier it is to work if you are dishonest.

Jimmy Magro was Jason Micallef’s predecessor as the Malta Labour Party’s secretary-general