Former cooperative officials file judicial protests

Three former officials of the Public Cleansing Cooperative (KIP) yesterday filed two judicial protests against the cooperative.

Paul Cutajar, Anthony Zammit and Joseph Cassar, formerly president, secretary and treasurer of KIP, declared they had retained their posts within KIP until July 15.

When they were appointed to the cooperative's committee, KIP's finances were in a disastrous state and the cooperative owed thousands of liri.

All three former officials had done their utmost to control the cooperative's debts and to provide a service to the local councils and they had even reached an agreement with the VAT Department whereby any VAT due on KIP's services would be paid directly by the local councils to the VAT Department.

Other arrangements were being made to reduce the debt for the dumping of rubbish at Maghtab and to review the existing agreements on government assistance.

Cutajar and Zammit claimed that as KIP's president and secretary they had found a situation whereby the cooperative had been awarded tenders by a number of local councils on a basis that was not financially viable. However, KIP had honoured its contractual obligations.

Despite the efforts made by the three former officials, other KIP members had damaged the cooperative by providing a bad service to a number of local councils. This had given rise to justified complaints by the latter.

There were also KIP members who had abandoned the cooperative's work with the aim of getting the contracts awarded to a competing cooperative, namely the Northern Cleaners Coop Limited. This had happened with the contracts for Marsascala and Birkirkara.

The three former officials declared they had carried out their work while faced with continuous threats by some KIP members.

One of the KIP members had turned up armed on Cutajar's doorstep and had threatened to kill him and his family and Cassar had been attacked.

Reports on these incidents had been lodged with the police.

All three men had resigned after these incidents but following their resignation a number of false allegations, had been made in their regard in particular about the cooperative's finances.

They categorically denied these allegations and Cutajar and Zammit added that they had even paid out of their own funds for the cooperative to be able to file bid bonds in respect of contracts.

The three men declared that they could not understand why they were being criticised for having participated in another company, namely South West Cleaning Limited, following their resignation.

No criticism had been levied at former officials Joseph and Paul Vella when they had resigned and formed Northern Cleaners Coop Limited.

Cutajar, Zammit and Cassar concluded their protests by declaring that KIP was libelling them and by holding KIP liable in damages.