Planning Authority board member Matthew Pace yesterday said he would not resign despite a court decision which found he had a conflict of interest in the Pembroke project.  

Speaking with Times of Malta, Mr Pace said the court had made it “very clear” that his business involvements did not preclude him from continuing in his role at the Planning Authority.

“Judgements are there to be quoted in whole not in part. I therefore will not be tendering my resignation from the PA board,” he said. 

On Monday, Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg urged Mr Pace to respect the court’s decision.  

Mr Pace’s involvement in the City Centre project was first revealed shortly after the authority approved it.

The board member, an entrepreneur, is a franchise owner of Remax Alliance Swieqi, which shared a database and website with Remax Malta. The agency had been selling apartments that were part of the db project at a time when no planning permit had yet been granted, The Shift News had reported.  

As a Planning Authority board member, Mr Pace had voted in favour of the project, with the vote being approved by 10 votes to four.

Matthew Pace. Photo: Facebook

Last week, a court nullified that decision, also finding that Mr Pace should have recused himself. 

Throughout this process I always acted in good faith

Replying to a series of questions, Mr Pace said the court judgment “appears to have been based on evidence given by third parties which in my opinion is factually incorrect”. 

However, he gave no further explanation on this, saying only that he would clarify further at “the opportune moment”.

“I will therefore refrain from expressing my views on this judgment other than pointing out that I was never a party to this case, was never invited to testify and therefore it is evident I was subjected to judgment without having been given an opportunity to clarify my position,” he said.

Mr Pace said he would respect this judgment – ostensibly by not voting on this particular project.

“On a final note, my business involvements were disclosed in full as per standard procedure.  This shows that throughout this process I always acted in good faith and in a transparent manner,” he said.  

The responsibility to ask for a board member’s resignation rests with the minister responsible. However, Dr Borg has said only that he expected the businessman to heed the court’s ruling when pressed on the matter.  

And, as the authority grapples with the court ruling, so too was db Group’s owner Silvio Debono. The tycoon last week told Times of Malta he was considering his legal options. Sources said, one possibility could see the businessman take legal action against the authority.