“I was vociferous in favour of Mr Fearne,” Robert Abela lied as new revolting information surfaced about Steward’s abuse of millions of our money to create and circulate false incriminating reports about Chris Fearne.
In 2022 alone, Steward paid €2 million to UK-based intelligence firm CT group “to identify, evidentialise and deploy into the public domain information about the main opponent of the client’s concession in Malta”. That main opponent was Fearne.
When those fake stories about Fearne’s €3.2 million profit from passport sales surfaced, Abela didn’t lift a finger to defend him. “I will leave it in the hands of the magistrate,” he commented, gleefully savouring Fearne’s disquiet. “I use the same principle I’ve always used ‒ I leave the inquiring magistrate to lead the investigation with serenity and without interference.”
Abela had no such qualms publicly attacking the magistrate after the search on Joseph Muscat’s property. He didn’t leave the magistrate to work in serenity when he publicly humiliated her, accusing her of political terrorism. He used his media organisation to harass and intimidate her.
Abela was never “vociferous in favour of Mr Fearne”. He abandoned Fearne to the dogs. When those fabrications were maliciously circulated by Steward, the Labour Party didn’t even issue a statement in support of their deputy prime minister and deputy leader. He was left to drown, alone.
ONE news is now peddling the false narrative that the Maltese government and Fearne were always on the same side fighting the evil Steward. They weren’t.
Muscat was secretly dealing with Armin Ernst behind Fearne’s back to make sure Steward got the best possible deal. Muscat secretly devised a fail-safe mechanism that, no matter what happened, Steward would profit handsomely. He engineered the disgusting €100 million termination clause behind Fearne’s back.
“Cabinet approved everything,” Muscat claimed. “None of these agreements were brought to the attention of cabinet,” Fearne told the NAO. “Whoever needed to be involved was involved,” Muscat lied. “I was not involved in any negotiations,” Fearne declared.
Muscat, according to the NAO, negotiated with Steward to provide “additional payments by government to concessionaire without any increase in services”. He subsequently concealed his nefarious back deals. Muscat “obscured visibility” and provided “limited disclosures”.
Fearne knew all this. Yet, he appeared on stage with Abela, hugging Muscat. “Joseph Muscat taught me how to lead a party and how to lead a country,” Fearne commented. Fearne hid Muscat’s despicable and criminal behaviour from the public. He was key to preserving the false portrayal of Muscat as the great leader. Fearne chose his own ambitions over the truth. He chose his own glory instead of the country. He thought he could thwart Muscat.
But Muscat was peddling fiercely to make sure Abela triumphed. He had his own financial interests and his impunity to take care of. The tens of thousands funnelled into Muscat’s BOV account came from taxpayers channelled from Steward into Accutor AG.
OCCRP, which has now revealed the shocking details of Steward’s obscene lies, also published filings before the US Securities and Exchange Commission. They show Steward boss, Ralph de la Torre offered Muscat a seat on Steward’s board once he left government.
De la Torre faces accusations of funnelling millions into his own pocket. No wonder he bought a $40 million 190-foot yacht, Amaral, and another $15 million 90-foot sport fishing boat. De la Torre travels around like a Russian tycoon in a bomb-proof car and with a security detail. Muscat wanted to be like him.
“The relationship (between government and Steward) will bring excellent results to Malta’s healthcare,” Muscat bluffed at his meeting with de la Torre. But refused to take any questions from journalists.
The only thing Robert Abela was vociferous about is praising Steward and protecting the personal interests of the man who gave him power – Joseph Muscat- Kevin Cassar
Steward was already facing serious financial difficulties. It failed to file financial statements for years. It was struggling to pay for healthcare but de la Torre was busy spending millions of our money to dig up dirt on Fearne.
No wonder Muscat’s first engagement after being ousted from Castille was to accompany Ernst to lobby his handpicked successor to strike a deal with Steward. Ernst was the one circulating false stories about Fearne. He e-mailed a fake bank transaction purporting to be a money transfer of millions of euros into the account of Carmen Ciantar’s daughter.
He was distributing a fabricated document called ‘Malta’s abuse of passport scheme’ intended to destroy Fearne. This is the man Abela met in Castille in January 2020. With him was Muscat. Days later, Abela was discussing another waiver for Steward. He simply waived Steward’s obligation to submit financing agreements. Abela embarked on a fresh round of discussions to renegotiate a better deal for Steward. He roped in his own father to strike it.
On July 22, 2020, Abela agreed on a set of high-level points with Steward. He would pay Steward €35 million for Barts medical school. He proposed Steward should manage the hospitals for another 30 years. He paid Steward millions more than previously agreed.
By October, Abela drew up a “joint position paper” establishing how much more Steward would get. A date for signing that agreement was set for December 18, 2020. Abela got his cabinet to approve it. The American ambassador was invited to attend the signing ceremony. Only the intervention of the department of contracts and the state advocate stopped him handing Steward an even more lucrative contract than Muscat’s.
Even after the court declared the hospitals concession fraudulent, Abela kept praising Steward for their achievements. Among them was using millions of our money for fabricated dirt against Fearne.
To Muscat’s delight, Abela personally funnelled over €228 million to Steward between 2020 and 2021. Millions more followed. Until October 2022, Fearne was defending the €80 million he planned to pay Steward in 2023, €10 million more than in 2022. The irony is that Steward was using that same money to destroy him.
Now Abela pretends he wants to get the stolen millions back. Now it’s too late. The money’s gone. Steward are bankrupt. He’s still casting doubts about the veracity of the OCCRP and Times of Malta reports ‒ “I’m not going to say whether the reports are true or not”. He’s attacking the PN.
Abela wasn’t “vociferous in favour of Mr Fearne”. The only thing Abela was vociferous about is praising Steward and protecting the personal interests of the man who gave him power ‒ Joseph Muscat.