Labour insist Qawra land should be returned to the people

The Labour Party said yesterday the government had still not explained how a large stretch of land in Qawra held by Go plc had not been returned to the state in line with an understanding reached when Go was sold to Tecom.

The MLP noted that, when the government sold its Maltacom shares to Tecom (the owner of Go), it had signed an agreement stating that, by November 2006, the government would have moved a resolution in the House transferring to Go the title over land occupied by a number of telephone exchanges while the company was to transfer the Qawra site to the government.

However, nearly a year and a half had passed and the Qawra land - the size of two football fields and worth between €23 million and €35 million - had not been returned to the people as promised.

The party highlighted that at the Go annual general meeting last Friday, company chairman Sonny Portelli said there was no issue over this site with the government because the land was company property and would be used when appropriate.

The MLP called on Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi not to keep deceiving the public regarding the Qawra land and to explain to the population why the land was not utilised for the common good.