Just released: statement by former chairman of the Malta Communications Authority (abusively removed by this government in breach of EU rules)
FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION
STATEMENT BY DR. ANTONIO GHIO
I refer to certain statements made this morning by the Prime Minister during a press conference at the Palace, Valletta where he put my previous appointments at the Malta Communications Authority (MCA) as well as my integrity into question.
Whilst categorically refuting all allegations being made in my regard, I would like to add as follows:
1. My appointments at the MCA were all made in accordance and in complete conformity with the provisions of the Malta Communications Authority Act;
2. During my tenure as member of the Board and later as Chairman of the MCA I always followed and religiously respected all applicable laws and regulations including but not limited to the Code of Ethics for Board Directors in the Public Sector. Never, throughout my tenure, did I provide any consultancy, advice or any other form of service or representation, whether of a legal nature or otherwise, to any entity or person falling under the regulatory remit of the MCA. Any allegation or inference of any conflict of interest from my part is therefore being refuted as completely unfound in fact and at law;
3. If the Prime Minister has or had any doubt regarding my personal integrity or absolute loyalty to my country, perhaps he should have considered deeply whether he should have sent me a letter signed by his very hand on the 3rd April 2013, that is well after my offer of forced resignation was received by Government, asking me as chairman of the MCA to provide all assistance to a TV crew from Dubai which were filming a programme about Malta, something which I gladly did;
4. I again restate that my removal from the MCA was (i) against applicable national laws and EU Directives; (ii) absolutely not voluntary; and (iii) nothing more than an act of constructive dismissal simply triggered by a change in administration of the country. In fact, the reason I was formally provided with on the 30th April 2013 by Paulanne Mamo, Permanent Secretary within the Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Business, for my dismissal was as follows:
“The Government of Malta considers that you can no longer perform your duties as Chairman in light of a change of administration of the country”
DR ANTONIO GHIO
19 Comments Comment
Leave a Comment
Oh my God, x’ misthija ta’ nies.
If ever there was the need of an explanation for his dismissal it is spelt out in the last sentence.
I have used this guy a hundred and one times and he will always be a straight lawyer. But this story is exactly like the one where you ended up on the orizzont because of the blood monitors. These guys ihawdu fuq li ihawdu, but they have no inkling of what their job really entails.
“The Government of Malta considers that you can no longer perform your duties as Chairman in light of a change of administration of the country”
Discuss.
Konrad is in Qatar. Is Keith there too?
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-05-30/news/konrad-mizzi-and-qatari-counterpart-discuss-matter-of-mutual-interest-1721466880/
Are you noticing how Minister for Energy is lying low with no pomp, trying not to rock the boat re the choice of the company who is going to build the new power station?
Transparency, my foot. Obviously the bidder will be the Qatari / Chinese one and I don’t need to explain further.
Isthi Joseph Muscat
Dwwk li emmnu lil Joseph Muscat, isthu. Ara fhiex gibtu lil Malta, just for the sake ‘biex nippruvah’.
Platt spaghetti jew zarbun gdid hey, ha tippruvah!
Zarbun gdid ta’ min juppruvah imma mhux karkur jinten seba’ pesti.
How sad it is that people who are correct and ethical are forced to justify their actions and defend themselves whilst those in public and less visible positions of Government and colluding with it, who lie outrightly, whose actions are totally unethical and who are responsible for the downward slide already begun remain at large, far from transparent and as yet unaccountable.
Let us take a leaf from the PL elves: Joseph Muscat shame on you. Resign.
Refusing to publish my comments – simply because they are fair and, yes, criticise both PL and PN – stinks.
Meritocracy does not exist now but neither did it exist before.
[Daphne – That’s not the reason. There are just far too many. Keep it pertinent, please. Also, I am responsible at law for what is published here. Your comments are not published by right, because there is no such right. On the contrary, I have obligations at law.]
Questioning people’s suitability for a post does not constitute a breach of law. Even more so, when their CV is available for public viewing on the net.
After this debacle Joey should go into hibernation for another three months.
Mrs Michelle can play locum tenens.
TV Crew from Dubai? Very interesting, I would say. Can the PM issue an official statement since he felt the need to intervene?
I believe Dr Ghio’s statement because it is a replica of the illegal “compulsory retirement” meted out to me in Mintoff’s time. Old customs die hard.
Initially a failed attempt was made to have me dismissed from the police force on trumped up charges based on palpable perjury by an acting Commissioner of Police.
When that failed I was “compulsorily retired on grounds of public interest”, illegally and twice in the space of a week. Soon after the PSC regulations were amended to grant immunity from prosecution to witnesses before the PSC when testifying on behalf of government.
I had to wait for a change of government before I could receive justice.
I always maintained that today’s LP is no improvement on the injustices of those days. I am being proved absolutely right.
The last sentence has a lot of food for thought, just like the phrase ” Tista ma taqbilx maghna, imma tista tahdem maghna”.
So our Joseph affects concern about Dr Antonio Ghio’s supposed conflict of interest while sitting on the Malta Communications Authority board of directors.
On that basis, shouldn’t he be equally concerned about Godfrey Vella, new MCA board member and now also Digital Champion for Malta? Godfrey runs WINS Ltd, a company involved in the telecommunications business. Here’s the website http://www.winssystems.com/default.aspx.
Oh, and the company operates from the same address in St Venera as Tony Meilaq’s mini-empire of commercial companies. Our Tony is now chairman of the Water Services Corporation, with the deputy chairman being his (erstwhile?) business partner Saviour Zammit. Godfrey Vella is in fact part of the mini-empire. So is Saviour Baldacchino, board member at MITTS Ltd, the state ICT corporation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3UWqGOntlc
Tista’ ma taqbilx magħna iżda tista’ taħdem magħna…dejjem jekk irridu nahdmu aħna mieghek .