My chimpanzee needs a house, Christian Borg appeals to PA
Borg built illegal cage on top of Swieqi apartment to house pet primate
Suspected gangster Christian Borg has appealed a Planning Authority enforcement notice against a cage on the roof of his Swieqi penthouse, telling the authority the illegal structure will serve as temporary housing for a chimpanzee with whom he currently lives.
As a result of the appeal, the execution of the enforcement notice issued against the enclosure on Triq Il-Ġiebja has been suspended. Borg had been paying a €2-a-day fine.
His appeal to the PA states that the structure was built due to “exceptional circumstances”. The appeal cites a government-issued amnesty, published in February, allowing individuals to regularise the possession of exotic animals. The legal notice gives a 90-day window to comply.
Applicants must submit plans of the enclosure for the dangerous animal, including CCTV and lighting, while ensuring both the animal’s and the public’s safety and well-being.
“The appellant built the structure, which is temporary and non-permanent, to comply with these requirements and provide the required enclosure and preventive measures for the chimpanzee’s welfare.”
The appeal insists that Borg did not act out of disrespect for the PA “but rather to ensure the chimpanzee would not be removed from its accustomed environment”.
Borg has applied for temporary sanctioning of the structure and states that he is seeking to move to another residence that fully complies with Veterinary Services’ requirements.
He committed to removing the structure once he vacates the current premises.
The cage was first flagged in March by residents and Momentum leader Arnold Cassola. Photos then emerged showing workers concealing the structure with boards during the night but not before it was reported to the PA by the local council.
“We live in a mad country. It’s unbelievable that people can do these things in broad daylight. It’s an insult to people’s intelligence,” Swieqi mayor Noel Muscat had said.
Borg is known to own several exotic animals. He first made headlines in 2022 when he was one of four men charged with a botched kidnapping. He has since been charged with various crimes related to money laundering and tax fraud.
In 2024, residents of Santa Luċija reported Borg’s car hire company for parking its cars on public roads.
He was also involved in a controversial property deal with Prime Minister Robert Abela, who pocketed €45,000 from the deal in 2018, before he became prime minister. In March, PN MP Karol Aquilina said he would call Borg and two prison inmates as witnesses when he faces parliament’s privileges committee over comments he made about Abela’s “criminal associations”.