The Valletta mayor “illegally” annulled a contract for the restoration of the façade of the locality’s St Paul’s Shipwreck Parish Church, PN councillors have claimed.
In a statement on Monday morning, the PN slammed Olaf McKay, the locality’s new mayor, for his “unacceptable” behaviour during a local council meeting earlier this month, when he unilaterally decided to annul a contract previously approved by all members of the local council.
The statement, signed by PN Valletta councillors Ylenia Montfort, Roberta Bonello Felice and Vince Fabri, referred to a contract which was approved and granted for restoration works on the church’s facade during a meeting held last month.
The Church of St Paul's Shipwreck is one of Valletta's oldest churches, dating back to the 1570s. Last year, the former Valletta mayor, Alfred Zammit, announced the restoration project for the church's façade and works were to include a new lighting system.
According to the statement, the contract was approved unanimously by the Local Council which was then “duty-bound” to proceed by informing all tenderers of the Council’s decision and opening the appeal period.
“It seems that without the knowledge of some Local Council members, this process was not triggered, and the small contract was brought back for discussion at the next meeting, held on 3 September,” the statement read.
Before that meeting, councillors had requested an urgent meeting, but the request was ignored by McKay, they said.
According to the PN councillors, the local council’s lawyer was also present at the September 3 meeting. The statement said the majority of the local council had disagreed with the lawyer’s advice, and the Nationalist Party had asked for several clarifications which remained unanswered.
“At this stage, the mayor declared that he alone had the right to annul the contract on the basis that he is the mayor,” the statement read.
“Amid many disputes between the councillors, the mayor stated that he would cancel the contract because he had the authority to do so as mayor. He also made allegations against one of the PN councillors, which he did not substantiate.”
The mayor went on to declare the contract would be annulled, despite the majority of the councillors disagreeing with his decision, the statement read.
“The cancellation of this contract was entirely in breach of the law, as decisions within the Council must be made by the majority of councillors, not by one person,” it said.
“Furthermore, the Local Council administration should only act on the decisions made by the majority of councillors.”
St Paul's Parish Archpriest condemns mayor's actions
In a Facebook post, St Paul’s Parish Archpriest, David Cilia and the Collegiate Chapter, said they had been informed through third parties that the local council had dropped the tender for the restoration of the church’s facade.
The statement was published days after the local council meeting.
The Archpriest slammed McKay’s decision which, without any discussions with the Chapter, had once again halted the tender for the project, he said, adding it was the second time the tender had been stopped.
“The Chapter expresses its displeasure that the local council is discriminating against parishioners of the St Paul’s Shipwreck parish with a persistence the likes of which we have never seen.”
The statement concluded it would be in contact with government authorities to ensure the abusive council does not have "the last word".
The PN councillors said further action will take place in the coming days in response to the mayor’s “illegal” actions.
Contacted by Times of Malta, McKay said he had evidence that showed the council had been left with "no option but to cancel the tender, which was not yet awarded to any bidder."
He said the evidence would be submitted to the public contracts review board which had been asked to look into the matter, but that he was unable to comment further while the case was under review.