Former Mepa chief testifies in Mistra case

The former planning authority chairman yesterday testified that he saw the former tourism authority official charged over the Mistra case at high-level planning meetings but never really questioned what he was doing there.

Andrew Calleja, the Mepa chairman, was testifying in the case of George Micallef, the former acting CEO of the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA), who stands charged with making a false declaration in October 2007.

Mr Calleja said that he knew Mr Micallef through work and would see him at high-level meetings however he never really questioned why Mr Micallef was at these meetings.

The Mistra case began to unravel right before the last general election when the Labour Party accused Nationalist Party MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, who owns the land on which the dispute centres, of corruption.

Labour had revealed plans to develop a disco on the protected land belonging to Dr Pullicino Orlando in Mistra.

When Mr Micallef was first charged, police inspector Ian Abdilla testified that the accused had told the police he had been asked by Dr Pullicino Orlando to write a favourable report about the proposed project.

He had acted as a consultant for Dr Pullicino Orlando but had also authored a report in favour of the project as an official of the Malta Tourism Authority.

The former Mepa chairman said that he came to know about the case when the application was presented to him by the chairman of a lower board.

Shortly after this the police questioned him over his involvement.

An MTA architect, Alfred Grech also testified that he was asked to submit an outline permit application on behalf of the authority to embellish the bay because it was in a shabby state and he drew up some plans and evaluated the area.

This permit was later annexed to the private application made for the land belonging to Dr Pullicino Orlando, the court had heard in previous proceedings.

In fact, Mr Grech testified yesterday that at one point, Mr Micallef asked him to turn the application into a full development application but did not give any reason why.

He said that he attended meetings about this application, in front of Mepa liaison officer Lawrence Vassallo, but despite the fact that the disco project was totally separate from this application, Dr Pullicino Orlando was present for one of the meetings.

He said, when asked, that the MP was only there as a spectator but added that he assumed he was there because the area had some touristic value.

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