Watch: MIDI silent after meeting with Prime Minister on Manoel Island
Meeting follows statements by Abela and MIDI indicating island could be returned to government
Executives from MIDI declined to comment on the outcome of a meeting held with Robert Abela concerning the future of Manoel Island.
Representatives from the company met with the prime minister at Castille on Wednesday morning, after he said he believed MIDI had breached the public land concession agreement by failing to observe project completion timelines.
Asked how the meeting went and whether he was happy with its outcome, MIDI CEO Mark Portelli refused to comment.
On Sunday, the company released a statement via the stock exchange announcing that it was committed to finding a solution that could return Manoel Island to government hands, in a major boost for activists campaigning for it to be transformed into a national park.
The activists, led by NGOs Moviment Graffitti and Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar, insist that the concession agreement should be ripped up due to contractual breaches by MIDI.
The contract that was signed in 2000, which granted MIDI a 99-year lease on the two sites, states that works must be “substantially complete” by March 2026. Activists argue this is impossible and, therefore, the government has the necessary leverage to negotiate a more favourable deal for the public.
A petition circulated by the activists garnered 29,000 signatures
Prior to Sunday’s announcement, MIDI had argued that delays beyond their control due to archaeological findings and permit approval processes entitle them to a contract extension.