The story about the Fortina Group published by Amphora Media, about the group flipping a public property for a 500% return in just a matter of weeks is a textbook example of Maltese historical rent-seeking. This kind of method has been repeated in Malta decades after decade enriching Malta’s monopolists and traditional land-owners.
The Fortina Group and Michael Zammit Tabona are major donors of the Labour Party – they donate up to €100,000 to Labour every year. For Fortina Group this is not a political donation based political values or ideology – this is an investment, and in legal terms, a bribe. In return, Fortina Group gets favourable access to public resources. This method is applied across the Maltese business community.
This deal took place under Joseph Muscat’s administration. Prime Minister Robert Abela actually reversed this process with regard to Manoel Island, but he only did so after massive public pressure that created massive support behind the proposal. The Prime Minister was basically handed a victory on his lap, but it is indeed true that his decision flies against the years of Maltese rent-seeking and corruption that formed our economy.
Now, the Labour Party is, as usual, defending itself over the Fortina deal, bearing its usual “siege mentality”, while in the process of covering up for Joseph Muscat and Keith Schembri – the prime culprits in every major corrupt contract under their administration.
The Labour government should strive to ensure the public’s interests in this case but Labour’s drive to do so is marred with its interest to cover-up for itself and its members.
Website Editor
Historian and Publisher
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