A cleaning company sees “hidden influence” behind the authorities’ decision to bar it from bidding for public contracts.

Gafà Saveway Limited filed a judicial protest calling on the Contracts Department to revoke its decision to blacklist it, adding that it was made after its directors had been wrongly convicted by the courts.

The company recalled that, in February 2014, directors Antonia, Paulette and Dominic Gafà had been found guilty of breaching laws on precarious work even though they had not been present in court. It said that, by law, they could not have been found guilty in absentia and that made the judgment null.

A constitutional application was filed and the case was still pending.

Gafà Saveway complained that, despite the pending constitutional case, it remained blacklisted and barred by the government from bidding for public contracts.

This was of great detriment to the business, which, it noted, used to employ 600 people. The company said it had reason to believe that the blacklisting stemmed from reasons that were beyond legal matters, adding there was a “hidden influence”.

In the past, it added, there had been an allegation that one of its directors had recorded the General Workers’ Union’s general secretary, Tony Zarb, say, during a meal, that if there was a change in government companies whose workers were members of his union would be favoured.

Lawyer Edward Gatt signed the judicial protest.