Minister intervenes in tender outcome

Economy Minister Chris Cardona personally intervened to change the results of a Privatisation Unit tender award, an investigation by The Sunday Times of Malta reveals. The move was followed by the resignation of Privatisation Unit chairman Emanuel Ellul, although the latter is insisting he stepped down for health reasons. The incident concerns a tender document issued last April for the provision of legal services to assist the unit in the pre-drafting, adjudication, negotiations and final agreements of an expression of interest for the granting of two new casino licences. In May the Privatisation Unit finalised a report on the adjudication of the tender. Following the opening of the sealed tenders and the ranking of the 14 bids received by an adjudication committee – comprising representatives of the Privatisation Unit, the Lotteries and Gaming Authority, Mimcol and the ministry – the unit passed on the report to the minister for approval. However, Dr Cardona objected to the way the committee carried out its adjudication and ordered the award of the tender to another firm after re-ranking some of the submitted bids. When asked by The Sunday Times of Malta whether Dr Cardona had...