Ex-acting MTA chief executive accused of making false declaration

The former acting CEO of the Malta Tourism Authority, George Micallef, was arraigned yesterday in connection with the Mistra development controversy.

Mr Micallef, 48, of St Julians, pleaded not guilty to making a false declaration on and before October last year.

Magistrate Laurence Quintano heard Police Inspector Ian Abdilla testify that Mr Micallef told the police he had been asked by Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando to write a favourable report about a proposed discotheque project in Mistra, which was to be developed on land the MP owned.

Dr Pullicino Orlando had also asked Mr Micallef, in his role as acting CEO of the authority at the time, to accelerate a planning application of the Mistra project and switch it from an outline permit application (preliminary permit) to a full permit application.

As soon as the application was switched for a full permit bid, which was not normal practice for the MTA, the process was "suddenly accelerated" from Mepa's side and the permit application had even been processed before some of the MTA's other applications that had been pending for longer, Mr Micallef said.

He admitted in his statement to the police that he had written a favourable report on the disco project, first as a consultant to the authority and then on behalf of the MTA because he had been asked by Dr Pullicino Orlando, who was "his friend", even though he did qualify that he would have still recommended the project from a purely touristic point of view.

The case continues.

Police Inspectors Angelo Gafà and Ian Abdilla prosecuted.

Lawyers Joseph Giglio and Stephen Tonna Lowell appeared for Mr Micallef.