Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo has “returned” a 19th-century stone marker he controversially kept in the garden of his Qala home, according to the chairman of Heritage Malta.

The minister was investigated by the police responsible for crimes against heritage after the artefact was found in his home two years ago.

Though the police remained silent on the progress of their investigation, it appears the British-era milestone is back in public hands.

In an interview with Times of Malta, Heritage Malta chairman Mario Cutajar was asked about his views on the historical artefact being kept in a private garden.

“To my knowledge, that [the stone marker] was returned,” Cutajar said. “I don’t know how it ended up in his place. He is definitely, definitely, definitely, definitely not the kind of person to steal,” he added.

Refalo is a previous chair of Heritage Malta, a position Cutajar has held since 2022.

“I know Anton is a big collector and he is a connoisseur in the arts... but how it ended up in his hands I don’t know and nor did I ask, but it isn’t ours,” he said.

The photo of the VR stone marker published on Facebook in 2022 by members of the minister's family.

“This is more of a question for the superintendence [of cultural heritage] but, to my knowledge, it was returned.”

It is not clear when and to whom Refalo returned the marker, which bears initials VR, the royal cypher for Queen Victoria.

Questions have been sent to the agriculture ministry, the superintendent of cultural heritage and the police but no answer has been forthcoming.

The British-era relics can still be found across Malta and Gozo and are now protected by law.

A Facebook photograph published in 2022 by members of his family revealed the artefact was sitting next to a swimming pool in his Qala home.

In a statement afterwards, Refalo said he was collaborating with the authorities but denied any wrongdoing.

Cutajar also discussed the wider issue of security around heritage artefacts.

This year, there have been two high-profile cases of artefact thefts. Two gold medals worth €400,000 were stolen from the Maritime Museum and three antique vases and a clock were stolen from the Grand Master’s Palace.

However, the former head of the public service insisted the national heritage is safe in his hands. “Of course, they are safe, so much so they were caught with our security systems,” he said.

But he also admitted that Heritage Malta sites may have been too accessible and said the agency was investing in new technology and security systems to protect artefacts. He said Heritage Malta had created an inventory of all its artefacts.

Cutajar’s words echoed those of Heritage Malta CEO Noel Zammit, who said the new security measures included an audit of all sites.

The audit involves analysing the security systems at all Heritage Malta sites and identifying the sites’ vulnerabilities and the artefacts considered to be high-risk.