Medical supplier in hospitals probe tops government ‘direct orders’ list
A medical supplier investigated as part of a corruption and money-laundering probe tops the list of companies that received public funds via direct orders from the government this year. Technoline received €824,000 worth of direct orders between January and October, more than any other company in Malta, according to information tabled in parliament by Finance Minister Clyde Caruana in reply to a PQ by PN MP Darren Carabott. Public procurement rules advise that direct orders are to be used as a last resort and should be limited in scope and value. A Technoline representative said the bulk of the €800,000 was for the extension of servicing agreements for medical equipment previously provided via a public tender, rather than being ‘new’ direct orders. Technoline is one of a web of companies on the police’s radar after it was given exclusive rights in 2017 to handle medical procurement for Vitals Global Healthcare. Vitals Global Health care, which was handed the running of three public hospitals despite having no track record in healthcare, has been the subject of a magisterial inquiry since 2019 over suspected corruption in the government concession. In the lead-up to the...