Polidano to be charged over dumping at sea

The police will be pressing charges against major developer Polidano Brothers over the recent dumping of rubble at sea from the Freeport.

A police spokesman said the investigations into the activity have been concluded and that charges will follow, adding, however, that ancillary investigations are being carried out in connection with the case in order to "explore other possible irregularities" committed by "different parties".

The police said the latter investigations are also at an advanced stage. The case hit the headlines late last August after trucks belonging to Polidano Brothers were reported to be dumping inert waste at sea illegally using the Freeport as a base.

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority said the activity was not covered by a valid permit and stopped the dumping.

In a rare statement issued to the press, Polidano Group managing director Charles Polidano and general manager Jesmond Manicaro had insisted that the "activity of disposing material using a sea-based method is advocated by Mepa itself and is completely legitimate". They called for the "mudslinging and the malicious charges" unjustly levelled at them to stop once and for all.

Now, however, the police investigations corroborate Mepa's statement that the dumping was not covered by a permit, police sources said.

Contacted for his reaction, Mr Manicaro stood his ground. He said the company had a permit to dump at sea the rubble generated from the Midi Manoel Island/Tigné construction project, through a company which operated a barge service from Manoel Island.

However, Polidano failed to reach an agreement to use the services of this company, so alternative arrangements had to be found.

Mr Manicaro said that his company had been forced to stockpile the excavated material in one of its quarries in Qrendi and later dispose of it through the Freeport, using its own barges.

"We were told by the Freeport officials that they had an open ended permit... now if that is not the case, different contractors have been dumping at sea from there for at least 15 years," he insisted.

Contacted for his comments, the Freeport's architect Joe Bugeja - the man responsible for overseeing the dumping - was not available.

The same contractor is expected to be charged in connection with illegal excavations carried out on his land in Xemxija following a letter sent to the police by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority asking them to prosecute.

The environmental sitting at the courts is expected to take place in the first week of October.