Wednesday, 9th April 2008 - 16:13CET
Gozo minister denies abuse of power claims
Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono this evening denied claims of abuse of power made by the Labour Party with regard to expropriation of land at Nadur while she was acting prime minister .
The Labour Party in a statement had demanded explanations from the Prime Minister and the Minister for Gozo over what it said was "blatant abuse of power" by the latter in the expropriation of land in Nadur last week.
The party explained that on Thursday the minister in her capacity as acting prime minister, approved the expropriation of land in Nadur beloning to seven families. Had this land been developed, the building would have spoilt the view from the residences of the minister’s driver and some of her relatives.
In 2004 the government had started to build a belvedere on the site but a court had found in favour of the families and ruled that the project was irregular since it was being built on private land. The court said the families had the right to remove street furniture on their property which formed part of the belvedere. It also established April 5 as the date when such street furniture could be removed. Yet a few hours before the court ruling was to be carried out, Mrs Debono approved the expropriation of the site, the MLP said.
Although this abuse had been known for days, the prime minister had still said nothing about it, the MLP observed. Nor had the minister explained her actions, as she was expected to do, the MLP said.
The Ministry for Gozo in a reaction stressed that at no point, during her acting appointment, was Mrs Debono approached or requested to take any decision regarding the case alleged by the MLP.
“In fact, the procedures involving cases of land expropriation for public use, in no way involve the Office of the Prime Minister. So much so, that notice no: 285 published in the Government Gazette of the 3rd April 2008, which refers to the ‘Acquisition of land’ in question, was signed by the President of Malta.”
Regarding the alleged denial of a family’s right to build a dwelling on the land in question, the ministry said that according to the Local Plan for Gozo and Comino the land in question was clearly identified as a ‘Green Area’ on Map 14.7-C .
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I challenge Minister Giovanna Debono to resign if there is such evidence.
If MLP fails to produce such evidence, I challenge MLP leader (who is the leader now? Charles Mangion or Jason Micallef) to ask for a public apology and resign.
This is incredible...MLP thinks that we are hare-brained.
If the prospective leaders want to be credible, they should distace themselves PUBLICLY from this saga.
However, I think that this is too much to ask...they're afraid of losing the delegates' votes.
That's the problem ... those set to vote have a certain fossilized mindset. No wonder they want to shoot down George Abela's proposal for a wider party vote.
Duely we institute a citation against the Secrateriat of Gozo, the land department. Eventually to justify this the Director of Projects, Gozo Secrateriat started an expropriation of our strip of land circa 50 meters with width varying from 3 to 4 meters (at least double the land in Ninu Zammit's ) all along.
Public interest - creating a traffic island in the mouth of a side steet , a cul -de -sac not longer than 200 meters and widening the said street already the legal width of 34 feet to 50 feet plus at places. With the said widening the supporters of the incumbent administration would be able to create an opening from their property to Triq il- Bizantini. Said street as most of Xlendi is uninhabited and which street today have a population of 2 families owning one car each.
Barely one single car go into this street today, imagine 10 years ago. Still it was in the public interest for the government to excute the expropriation order. The expropritaion did not go through because of Government change in 1998. By its sentence of 13 April 2000 The Gozo Court found the Gozo Secrateriat, now Ministry of Gozo guilty to have committed a "Spoll" on our property and had 2 months to remove the pavement which was duely done on the 13th June 2000.
If the expropriation would have gone through, I would have been compensated with tax payers money, not to build a beleveder for everyone to enjoy but to suit only interests of a Labour candidate in successive election for the Munxar Local Council and other supporters who own property in a pararell street and whose property confines with our property .
Said expropritaition would have brought the street line to there property thus doubling their properties potenial with tax payers money (probably at the time it would have been peanuts that we would have been paid). So much for abuse of power.
I know every detail of what went on in your little planet, apparently more than you yourself care to recollect.
He needs a rest.
I thought perhaps that the MLP's bigger concern right now is the acclamation of the 'anointed' one as leader!
Besides, how can you say that the expropriation was for private purposes when in fact it was the construction of a belvedere which, to my knowledge is for public and not private use.
This raises another question: Were the relatives of the Minister and her driver suing their relative and in the case of the driver, his employer? Were the families who stopped the construction other than the Minister's relatives, in which case, the MLP's claim is just another piece of a half baked allegation.
If indeed they were the Minister's relatives, one cannot say that they were receiving any special favours!
Arrogance is "not having any regrets" for past mistakes, miscalculations and running a political party aground.
How did the Nationalists stop you from airing your views? Are you kinda mixing things up a little?
Which daily paper press did the Nationalists burn down? Who gave the Nationalists a hard time when they tried to set up a radio station in Malta?
Joseph, wake up from your coma.
Although it may be legal, strictly speaking, in practise it is theft of private property and an abuse of power,
One: I never said that it is OK since the MLP did it, all I said was that the MLP should be the last to complain. If you took it the way you did, then it is sufficient proof that under the MLP governments things were even worse. And they truly were.
Two: How do you know that the Gozo expropriation is wrong? Your party stated that the lands in question are close to the minister's family members and that had the land been left to developers, they would have built homes which would obstruct their views! This is really rich. It seems to me that the area in question is made up of Nationalist supporters and not a single Labourite. That being the case, and no complaints were received, then everybody is happy.
Besides do you or the MLP know of any contractors who were eyeing the area for development? Would that have been acceptable?
If this was such a big issue, why has no one come forward to appeal against the decision?
Thereagain, Gozo's contribution to the Gonzipn victory was of paramount importance: lets not forget Labour got a majority in Malta, unfortunately not sufficiently big enough to counter Giovannapn's majority in gozo. So it is fully justified that she's given the "acting PM role"....and good for her too to keep up with the tradition. Go on Giovanna, we just love to sit back and watch. Unless you make our stomachs turn!!!!
The crucial point is why and by whom.
Only in Banana Republics is it done by the powerful in order to safeguard the views of their friends and relatives.
It is only an abuse of power when compensation (if applicable) is not paid to the private owners at a price independently decided by qualified appraisers.
The MLP should be the last to complain about abuse of power.
1. Giovanna Debono's driver lives in front of the land for development.
2. Government decides to put a belvedere instead of developable land.
3. The court decided in favour of the family in 2004
4. There was no execution of the court case since then.
5. Authorities lost every appeal lodged against the family since 2004
6. On the eve of the execution of the court case, government expropriates the land which was given back to the families by the court.
7. Coincidentally this happened on the day Giovanna Debono was Acting Prime Minister.
8. Her driver and relatives are happy.
Coincidence. I don't think so!
A pure smokscreen.
Is this the new begining froom labour?
1st and foremost, the opposition's job is to speak up when wrong-doings are taking place and believe it or not, they are taking place!
This is not mud-slinging...these are things which everybody should be aware of regardless of political inclinations...who cares if you're a labourite or a nationalist...these are very serious things which we can't avoid just because 'our' party is governing and we don't want to marr the party's reputation.
I mean, come on, the instant our PM leaves the island for a few hours and Giovanna is Acting PM, she approves the expropriation of a piece of land which 'coincidentally' lies in front of her relatives' and driver's house...it even sounds funny.
What is much worse is that the Prime Minister has not even attempted to comment on this issue.