St Philip's hospital auction going ahead despite Carlo Stivala assuming its debt
The debt ran into several million euros
The sale of St Philip’s hospital building will go to court-ordered auction despite developer Carlo Stivala buying the debt that Frank Portelli’s defunct private hospital owed to HSBC.
The office of the Official Receiver was in the process of issuing a public call to sell the hospital building in Santa Venera when, in December, Portelli told the court that Carlo Stivala’s company, Cast Renting Limited, was in the process of taking over the company and clearing the company’s debts, which ran into several million euros.
As a result, Portelli’s defunct company Golden Shepherd Group Ltd secured an additional few months to get the Stivala deal concluded, removing the need for an auction for the property.
But in January, another developer, Anton Camilleri, known as Tal-Franċiż, filed a court application insisting that the auction should still go ahead. Judge Ian Spiteri Bailey upheld his request after the court registrar said that around 10 people or companies had shown interest in bidding as well.
“The court considers that it is in everyone's interest that this liquidation be conducted with transparency and without anyone being prejudiced, and therefore considers it appropriate to revoke, its decree of 29 December 2025, which in any event clearly stated that the court was reserving the right to provide further directions if necessary,” the judge ruled.
The decision was made despite Stivala’s lawyers telling the court that their client had purchased the debt that had been owed to HSBC.
Spiteri Bailey issued new instructions to the Office of the Official Receiver that no bids that do not promise to pay the hospital’s outstanding debts with Stivala should be considered.
St Philip’s Hospital, owned by Portelli, a former PN MP, has been abandoned for more than a decade.