The owners of a building in Archbishop Street that houses the Valletta police station have demanded the keys to the property within one week, failing which they will take further legal action.

The owners filed an application before the Rent Regulation Board against the state attorney and the police commissioner after their requests for the return of the property, made over several years, fell on deaf ears.

The families explained that the property was leased to the Land Department through a contract signed in June 1962 for a period of eight years starting from July 1960, against a fee of €1,840 a year (Lm800). At the time, the premises housed the Malta Government Savings Bank and was formerly occupied by the Banco di Roma.

They said they had not been consulted about turning the property into a police station and neither were they informed how it had been passed on to the police commissioner.

The lease, they argued, was not protected under any law, especially since the property was not being used for commercial reasons or to house a band club, which were specifically mentioned in the law.

The owners have been refusing to take the payment of lease for several years since they had been demanding the return of their property.

Since the premises 'are being occupied illegally and abusively, and without any legal title,' they called on the police commissioner to return the keys within a week or else face legal action without further warning.

The owners also requested compensation for the damages they suffered as a result of the illegal occupation of the premises in question.

Lawyers Sarah Grech and Pierre Lofaro signed the application.

The families are also in court trying to win back three other nearby properties which they own, one in Archbishop Street and two in Strait Street.

These buildings had been expropriated in 1993 but never used for their intentioned purpose because of squatters. They were eventually vacated in 2007.