The sleaze surrounding Electrogas is limitless. Every other day we are made privy to new revelations which show how Konrad Mizzi, Enemalta – then led by Frederick Azzopardi – Keith Schembri et al facilitated anything that had to do with the Tumas-Gasan rip-off.
But the facilitating of Fenech’s projects was not just limited to Electrogas. The oiling of Mizzi and Schembri’s pockets served to open up many more opportunities for Fenech.
For example, he met Michael Farrugia at Castille on March 5, 2014, from 9.27 till 9.53 a.m. Farrugia stated on September 2 in court that he never met Fenech another time. From Farrugia’s testimony, we learnt that Johann Buttigieg, the CEO of the Planning Authority, was also present for the meeting in Castille.
Farrugia swore that on March 5 in the morning they never discussed highrises in Mrieħel, but only Fenech’s wish to have a six-storey hotel and land reclamation in front of Portomaso.
Yet, a few hours later (if not minutes), on March 5, Farrugia sent a letter to Buttigieg, whom he had just met in Castille with Fenech, asking him to include Mrieħel in the high-rise zone.
Two months later, in May 2014, the Planning Authority included Mrieħel in the high-rise zone, and four months later Tumas-Gasan were given a permit for the high-rise Quad Towers in Mrieħel.
Whatever Yorgen Fenech discussed with Michael Farrugia materialised with some help from the PA
Condition 10 of the Quad Towers permit says that building should not commence unless the applicant submits to the PA an agreement showing the amount of financial contribution for the holistic upgrading of road infrastructure along the sections of the network bordering the Mrieħel Enterprise Hub. When the Planning Authority was asked for this agreement it said it did not have it. And yet works on the Quad towers have long started. In the meantime the road infrastructure works have somehow been absorbed in the Central Link project – paid for from our taxes and EU funds.
Fast forward to September 2016 – the PA issues the Paceville Masterplan for public consultation. It contains Fenech’s Portomaso reclamation dream. Strangely enough whatever Fenech discussed with Farrugia materialised with some help from the PA.
The response by residents and local councils against this totally pro-hoteliers Paceville masterplan was vehement. Times of Malta had reported: “A new peninsula – created through land reclamation – proposed in front of Portomaso in St Julian’s to host residential units and a tower, has come under fire from local councils and area residents”.
As a result of the hundreds of objections, including those of the Paceville business community, and also because of conflicts of interest, the Paceville Masterplan was put on hold. Or, at least, that is what we were led to believe. Instead we are in for a new surprise. In the Government Gazette of August 28, we find out that Infrastructure Malta, the agency led by Frederick Azzopardi that has a long track record of illegalities all over Malta, has given a direct order to Crowdnet Ltd for a Transport Impact Assessment on the Paceville Masterplan.
The mind boggles. If the Paceville Masterplan was shelved in 2016, how is it possible that four years later a Transport Impact Assessment has been commissioned on a non-existent masterplan?
It seems that in Malta such things are possible. And who does the company given the direct order belong to? To a certain Architect William Lewis, who is the director of Crowdnet Ltd. And it does not stop here. Surprise surprise: Lewis is the organisational secretary of the Labour Party.
And the surprises continue. A little bit of research unearths the fact that Williams’ Crowdnet Ltd was again given direct orders to carry out assessments on the Central Link project. Those assessments were the basis for the approval of the project through Mrieħel and Attard... and can be described as the road network leading to the Quad Towers.
One remains in awe at the many coincidences which seem to facilitate any money-spinning building initiative concocted by Yorgen Fenech and friends.
Arnold Cassola is former Secretary General of the European Greens.