Parliament on Monday was asked to sign off on handing over public land that has already been “illegally” reclaimed by the Fortina hotel for a lido on the Sliema seafront.

A final vote is set to be taken on Wednesday after the Opposition objected and called a division. 

A motion for the transfer of the land and an area off the shore was moved by Lands Minister Silvio Schembri.

Opposition MP Albert Buttigieg questioned whether it was “incompetence or complicity” that had led to a situation where parliament was being asked to rubber stamp a done deal.

“The government is once again serving those who break the law. Then, to try look good, they make Fortina pay €70,000.

“That’s peanuts for this company. Construct first, sanction later. This is the exact mentality that is destroying our country,” Buttigieg said.

A parliamentary committee heard last week how Fortina went ahead with the land reclamation and lido opening before parliament even formally handed the company title to the public land.

Lands Authority CEO Robert Vella admitted to the committee that he was aware works on the lido had already been concluded while the resolution to transfer title on the land was still pending.

Vella argued that it is not the Lands Authority’s job to carry out enforcement, and it can only enforce such matters by going to court.

Minister Silvio Schembri, who is responsible for the deal, defended Fortina’s behaviour.

He claimed that the Opposition had dragged its feet on the government’s motion for the land to be transferred to Fortina.

'Fortina would have lost a summer of business'

Schembri argued that the investor had gone through a four-and-a-half-year process to get the necessary permits and permissions, including for title of the land to be transferred via a parliamentary motion.

“This is why the investor took the risk, as otherwise he would have lost another summer [of business]. He could not afford to have construction works being carried out right in front of his five-star hotel,” Schembri argued.

Schembri said Fortina will now be made to pay €70,000 for its illegal occupation of the land.

The minister said the government had listened to concerns about the placement of pontoons in front of the lido. As a result of this, the pontoons had been relocated further away from the swimmer’s zone.

Labour whip Andy Ellul accused the Opposition of trying to stifle economic growth. 

Ellul also slammed the “Nationalist establishment” for trying to create the economic downturn they have been trying to predict for years.

PN MP Darren Carabott questioned why parliament was put in a situation where it was debating a project that had already been completed.

“This project has already been completed. We are being asked if we agree with this project, while others did not give a damn about parliament and went ahead with it,” Carabott said.