Updated 7.50pm with Labour statement
Jason Azzopardi has asked the courts to order an investigation into various land deals involving the Lands Authority and its CEO Robert Vella.
The former PN MP alleges Vella “deliberately” failed to safeguard the public interest in multiple deals that benefited private pockets. In a lengthy court document requesting a magisterial inquiry, Azzopardi listed a number of those allegedly shady deals.
It is the latest in a spate of inquiry requests Azzopardi has filed in the courts.
One of the deals he cites in his latest court application, a 90-page document, concerns a high-profile decision to grant a large parcel of land in Mellieħa to mega-developer Paul Attard and his associate Paul Vella tal-Ballut, to build 109 apartments over five storeys.
Another concerns a Lands Authority decision to transfer a 250 metre plot of land in Victoria’s Triq ta’ Wara s-Sur, Gozo, to developer Ronnie Gatt and his wife.
Gatt and his brother William, known as Ta’ Gianmaria had previously illegally occupied the piece of public land and then falsely declared to the Planning Authority that they owned it.
The Lands Authority then issued a tender to sell the parcel of land under title of temporary emphyteusis. Ronnie Gatt and his wife were the sole bidders, Azzopardi said.
Another controversial deal concerned Pierre Sladden, who is currently facing criminal charges alongside former prime minister Joseph Muscat over the fraudulent Vitals hospitals contract.
Azzopardi alleges that Sladden had set his sights on a seaside property in Xgħajra which he planned to convert into a restaurant. The public property had been operated by Sladden’s grandfather for many years.
His cousin did not want to hand it over. The Lands Authority ordered the cousin’s eviction, took back possession of the property and then issued a tender for the same property under title of lease.
The highest bidder on that tender was Eurybates Ltd, owned by Ivan Vassallo, Sladden’s business partner. The highest bid was for an annual rent of €30,500, just €500 more than the next bid.
A public alley in St George’s Bay, internally valued at €3 million on the open market, was sold to Anton Camilleri, known as Tal-Franciz, who needed that land to complete his plans for the €300 million Villa Rosa project.
Two members on the Lands Authority’s Board of Governors objected to the issue of that sale tender but were overruled.
The last deal cited by Azzopardi concerned the transfer of Palm Beach lido at Armier.
That public land was originally granted under a 50-year concession. In 2021, Vella informed the original holders that they could transfer the concession.
The new owners, G3 Finance Plc, acquired the concession from the previous owners for €2 million, paying a mere €20,000 by way of compensation to government.
Citing investigative media reports about each of these controversial deals, Azzopardi said that there was a repetitive and consistent pattern of behaviour pointing at the Lands Authority ‘s CEO.
Vella apparently failed deliberately to safeguard the interests of public administration so as to greatly and unduly advantage private interests. This was “criminal behaviour perpetrated through criminal intentions,” claimed Azzopardi.
He argued that the deals had cost taxpayers tens of millions of euro and that there were signs that Vella was complicit in criminal association, trading in influence, misappropriation, embezzlement, false declarations, money laundering and breaching public procurement regulations.
A magistrate could shed light on the suspected criminal behaviour and also issue an order to urgently preserve any material evidence related to the deals, he said.
Azzopardi has leaned heavily on Malta's system of magisterial inquiries to bring suspected wrongdoing to light, having filed various requests for court probes.
One of those requests, filed alongside NGO Repubblika - to investigate ministers in connection with the deal to privatise three state hospitals - led to dozens of high-profile arraignments.
Other inquiries requested by Azzopardi have not yet been concluded. One concerns allegations about ID card fraud while another concerns claims of car hire firms working with LESA to defraud tourists.
Azzopardi has also filed requests for the courts to probe Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri on two separate issues. The court has not yet decided on those two requests.
Labour: Vile political tactics
In a statement which did not directly refer to Azzopardi or his latest request for a magisterial inquiry, the Labour Party said it has "nothing to fear" and that time would prove it right.
"No act of intimidation and provocation shall stop the country’s executive from delivering strongly for the common good," the party said. "It is those who foment hatred who have a lot to fear because they will have to answer for their vile political tactics - as well as those who are politically irrelevant and endorse cruel politics and villainous attacks on those who have different political beliefs than theirs."
Labour described Azzopardi as part of the "extremist faction of the Nationalist Party" and said that faction was now resorting to "political hatred and vile attacks."