Michael Stivala has expressed confidence in the strength of the Carmelo Stivala Group’s court appeal over the future of Valletta’s old fish market (pixkerija).
“With regard to the appeal, we are confident in the merits of our case and believe the facts and applicable legal principles support our position,” the business group CEO tells WhosWho.mt.
“However, we fully respect the judicial process and it would not be appropriate to speculate on the outcome while proceedings are ongoing.”
“More generally, we believe that public concession processes should be conducted with transparency, consistency and legal certainty.”
“These principles are essential to ensuring fair competition and maintaining investor confidence. We therefore await the Court's decision with confidence and respect.”
CSG had won an original tender for the regeneration of the Pixkerija with a proposal to convert the old fish market into a luxury hospitality destination centred around yachting and the sea.
Mr Stivala explained that its concept envisages a luxury hotel integrated with proposed yacht and boat berthing facilities, creating a unique waterfront destination where luxury hospitality and maritime activities complement each other.
CSG pledged annual concession payments of €592,440, amounting to some €38 million over a 65-year period.
This was significantly higher than the offer submitted by Bonnici Brothers, the only other bidder in the process, which proposed annual payments of €242,435 – totalling €15.7 million over the same period.
Bonnici Bros Executive Director Gilbert Bonnici - Photo: Bonnici Bros
However, Bonnici Brothers appealed this decision in front of the Public Contracts Review Board (PCRB), arguing there were a number of irregularities in CSG’s bid.
In June, the PCRB upheld these objections and ordered a fresh evaluation of both bids.
The PCRB criticised the evaluators for overlooking CSG’s failure to submit a full energy performance certificate, while still awarding it high marks under the alternative energy criterion.
However, CSG filed a court appeal, calling out the PCRB for revealing its commercially sensitive documents to Bonnici Brothers, giving them a huge competitive advantage.
This marks the second time a major Government concession overturned by the PCRB has been taken before the Court of Appeal in recent months.
The concession for the development of Evans Building, coincidentally just up the road from the Pixkerija, was subject to a similar court process.
In that case, the court ruled in favour of the original winning tenderer – Valletta Luxury Projects (VLP), a consortium composed of Eden Leisure and Iniala owner Mark Weingard.
Main Image:Malta Strategic Partnership Projects Limited
