What ‘sacrosanct principle’? On the theft of public land

Now that dust has settled on the court decision regarding the fraudulent hospitals deal, it is time to look at some details which so far may have been ignored because of the frenzy that surrounded this monumental case.

The government not only used taxpayers’ money for a fraudulent deal but also grossly mismanaged our public land, in a country where public land is a rare commodity.

During a recent interview with the Labour Party’s media, Prime Minister Robert Abela spoke about the importance “that every government gets the best value for the government’s lands and properties. That is a principle that for me is sacrosanct.”

The prime minister blatantly lied. His track record clearly shows he never had any intention of getting the best value for public land. This is in stark contrast to his supposed “sacrosanct principle” and calls into question his integrity.

One only needs to consider the fraudulent contract involving Vitals and Steward to see the true extent of Abela’s hypocrisy.

Five years ago, the hospitals case was initiated by my colleague Adrian Delia. It has revealed a disturbing lack of accountability among those in power.

It is worth noting that the case was not solely against Vitals but also against the Prime Minister, the Attorney General, Malta Industrial Parks (today INDIS), the CEO of the Lands Authority and the chairperson of the authority’s Board of Governors.

Despite evidence of their involvement, with the CEO of the Lands Authority even signing the deal, each of them claimed they were not responsible. The court expressed surprise at their efforts to distance themselves from the matter, and rightly found that all of them bear responsibility for this unacceptable breach of public trust.

Back in 2016, these same individuals, who in court proclaimed their lack of involvement, agreed to grant Vitals the title of temporary emphyteusis for the public land of Gozo General Hospital, St Luke’s Hospital and Karin Grech Rehabilitation Hospital – 135,282 square metres in total for a measly cumulative annual sum of €525,000 in ground rent.

The Auditor General criticised the government for failing to maximise the revenue generated through the lease of the sites. The National Audit Office found a discrepancy in ground rent in excess of €900,000 over the entire span of the deed. This discrepancy resulted in the government, and by extension the Maltese citizens, being denied additional revenue they were rightfully owed.

To make matters worse, rather than acknowledging that they could have secured an additional million euros, INDIS and the Lands Authority provided conflicting information, which only served to further confuse the situation.

INDIS claimed that it was only involved in the execution of the deal and was only transferred the land a few weeks before the contract was signed. The Lands Authority, on the other hand, stated that it was only involved at the beginning of the deal to verify that all of the land was owned by the government. Another case of “not me”. To add insult to injury, the prime minister persists in claiming that Vitals/Steward did a good job and that the opposition is lying when it says that Vitals/Steward did not meet its objectives and that, as a result, we should be demanding all our money back.

It was the court, however, that said none of the deal’s objectives had been met. Despite knowing full well that none of the objectives were met by Vitals, the government in 2017 made the incredible decision to modify the terms of the contract. It gave Vitals an additional four and a half years to meet the objectives.

It is clear, therefore, that this is another case in which the government unlawfully seized our land to benefit a select few. Even the court recognised that this alteration to the agreement was nonsensical and indicated the existence of pre-existing deals prior to the signing of the original contract.

There is no other way to put it. The Labour government is stealing our public land. So much for the “sacrosanct principle”.

Where is that “sacrosanct principle” in the deal which the government signed with Sadeen for the abject failure that is the American University of Malta? In what world is giving the Jordanian consortium the chance to buy 30,000 square metres of land for 47c per square metre of pristine land in Smart City “getting the best possible value for government land”? The opposition is also asking for this deal to be investigated.

Where is that “sacrosanct principle” in the government’s decision to grant some 1,000 square metres of a public garden in Gżira for the relocation of a petrol station? Where is that principle in the recent two motions that the government is hell-bent on passing, one for a supermarket in Żebbuġ and one for the development of a marina and lido in Sliema?

Their fingerprints are all over these absurd deals. Their greed knows no bounds and it shows no signs of stopping, unless the public gets behind a singular effort to put an end to their politics of corrupt dealings and dubious side-agreements.

The opposition is not only the Nationalist Party in parliament. It is made up of all those people of goodwill who cannot bear this government’s corrupt leadership and are willing to stand up and be counted.

It is we, the citizens, who are always expected to bear the brunt of the various messes caused by the Labour government and their incapable, shady characters placed in charge of government authorities.

And we have simply had enough.

Published on The Times of Malta (25th April 2023)