‘30 Years Of Hard Work Wiped Out’: Steward Auditor Says His Human Rights Have Been Violated
Steward auditor Christopher Spiteri warned that his human rights have been violated after he was hit with a range of charges in connection with the hospitals magisterial inquiry.
“I would like to react against recent news articles and reports written about me by the media in connection with the magisterial inquiry carried out on the Vitals/Steward case,” Spiteri wrote.
“In 2018 I was engaged by Steward to audit their accounts from 2015 onwards. To date I have carried out eight years of audits for Steward from 2015 to 2022.
“Steward accountants and officials have always cooperated with me and given me all the information required to produce audited accounts which are true and correct. During the course of my audits I have never known that any criminal association exists. No bribery or money laundering have also ever come to my knowledge during all this time.”
Spiteri said that while he has been accused of facilitating trading in influence for former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, former minister Konrad Mizzi and former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri, he has never even met these people, “let alone facilitated anything”.
“My opinion is that a lot of money has been spent on a magisterial inquiry which has done none other than fabricate lies and a sensational story for partisan motives, but at a great loss for the persons accused,” he said, while warning that his personal future is in jeopardy.
“As for myself I risk losing my clients, employees and work with what has been said about me. Thirty years of hard work as an auditor and all my credibility wiped out in a few days of reporting by the media. It is shameful for the judiciary to pick on normal persons like myself and try to destroy their life.”
Spiteri said that magistrate Gabriella Vella had summoned him as a witness and that he explained in detail his work as an auditor.
“The magistrate asked me why I was in possession of a lot of knowledge about Vitals/Steward. The answer is because as auditor I am actually paid to ask questions and gather information which I could use to produce good accounts,” he said.
“Instead she and her Irish court experts interpreted this as being for ulterior motives.”
“I have now been served with a freezing order on my assets and bank accounts, which has hampered my work as an auditor in a big way. I am also one of the persons with the largest list of criminal charges related to the case.”
“My reputation has been tarnished and my human rights violated. I will seek redress in the courts when the time comes and also prove my innocence. I have been treated in a very unjust way.”
Spiteri is one of 24 people facing charges in connection with the Vitals-Steward inquiry and has been accused of money laundering, filing false declarations, taking false oaths, forming part of a criminal association, facilitating trading in influence for Muscat, Mizzi and Schembri, divulging confidential material, and under-declaring income by certain Vitals investors.
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