Paceville bar owner claims discrimination

The owner of Mango's Salsa Bar at Paceville yesterday filed a judicial protest in the Civil Court against the police commissioner and the director of the Tourism Authority.

Saviour Bugeja claimed he held a permit issued by the director of the Tourism Authority to operate the bar but the permit did not entitle him to play music on the premises.

Bugeja claimed that he was being discriminated against in a blatant manner, for every bar in Paceville played music on the premises.

He added that he could not understand how a night spot like Paceville contained bars that were authorised to play music up to 4 a.m. while his bar was not authorised for this purpose.

Bugeja added that in other localities in Malta, such as St Paul's Bay, other commercial establishments that were not licensed to play music did so and were not closed down by the police.

Bugeja claimed that he was being troubled by the police to such an extent that he was losing income from his bar, even though he had been authorised by MEPA to play music in his bar.

He claimed that he was being discriminated against and he called upon respondents to remedy this anomaly and to make good the damages he had sustained.

Dr Edward Gatt signed the protest.