Two Dubai-based signatories on an agreement to provide introducer services in connection with the 2015 Malta hospitals privatisation project, are suing Steward Malta Limited for failing to honour payments due.

Mohammed and Sarwat Shoaib Walajahi had signed an introducer fee agreement with Crossrange Holdings Limited, a company represented by Ram Tumuluri, on March 6, 2015.

On June 19 that year Steward Malta Limited stepped into the obligations previously undertaken by Vitals Global Healthcare Limited and jointly with Crossrange Holdings Limited in terms of that agreement.

Crossrange had bound itself to pay fixed sums to the service providers.

But although initial payments were effected, no further payments were made.

In March 2019, the applicants called upon Crossrange and Steward to settle the amounts due, but still they failed to do so.

Promises of payment by company representatives, even recently, still did not materialise, claimed the applicants.

Moreover, they said, they had bound themselves in terms of that agreement not to perform any other work that could in some way directly compete with the business of the other signatories.

Whereas the applicants abided by their obligations scrupulously, Crossrange and Steward failed to honour their payment obligations, thus causing the applicants damages.

Meanwhile, Crossrange Holdings Limited was struck off the Register of Companies since it ceased to operate.

The applicants called on the First Hall, Civil Court to declare that Steward was their debtor, to liquidate the sum due and to order the company to pay damages.

Lawyer Franco Galea represented the applicants.