Nothing unusual in Mistra application, liaison officer testifies

A planning authority liaison officer yesterday testified that there was nothing unusual about the application for the Mistra disco and it was filed within the normal parameters.

Lawrence Vassallo was testifying in the case against Phillip Azzopardi and Anthony Mifsud, the former chairman and a member of the Development Control Commission respectively who stand charged with trading in influence.

Mr Vassallo testified that his office used to be situated at the Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment and that it was open to absolutely everyone. He used to receive calls from everyone, not just Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando.

Describing the nature of his job, he said he tackled complaints and problems and tried to find a compromise between the decision board and the customer.

Dr Pullicino Orlando contacted him in 2006 about the project to enquire what stage had it reached. Mr Vassallo called various meetings between the interested parties, including Dr Pullicino Orlando, the architects of the proposed disco and the developers in order to discuss the way forward.

The meetings were just like any other of the many he had with customers, he said.

He recalled a particular meeting that took place in November 2007 where Dr Pullicino Orlando insisted upon a decision by the board as a date for the decision had been set but this had been ignored. Time went by with no decision being taken and Dr Pullicino Orlando met Mr Vassallo who, in turn, agreed that the pending decision was taking far too long to be made.

Mr Vassallo insisted that this case was just like any other where board members would listen to customers' complaints and then retire to consider the application. The application was no different to any other.

The case continues. Police Inspector Angelo Gafà' also prosecuted. Lawyers Joseph Giglio, Peter Fenech and Stephen Tonna Lowell appeared for the accused.

The controversial project was first brought to light during the general election last year when the Labour Party (PL) revealed that an open-air disco was likely to be developed on ecologically-sensitive land in Mistra which belongs to Nationalist MP Dr Pullicino Orlando.

Shortly after the arraignment of Mr Azzopardi and Mr Mifsud, the former acting CEO of the Malta Tourism Authority, George Micallef was also charged with making a false declaration in connection with the case.

Police Inspector Ian Abdilla said that Mr Micallef had been asked by Dr Pullicino Orlando to write a favourable report on the project and to accelerate a planning authority application of the Mistra project and switch it from an outline permit application (preliminary permit) to a full permit application.

Applications for developments which have a bearing on tourism, such as this one, need to be accompanied by a tourism compliance certificate issued by the MTA.

Mr Micallef had written two favourable reports on the project, the first when he was a consultant and the second when he was acting CEO. The reports were drawn up so that the compliance certificate could be issued.

Once the certificate was issued it would then be attached to the application for the disco and presented to the Malta Environment Planning Authority.

The MTA had also filed an application with Mepa to embellish the Mistra Bay area.

The DCC board decided to tie the MTA application to develop the area with the disco application. Ultimately, the MTA application was withdrawn because the DCC board rejected three fourths of their proposals.