The in-laws of Stephania Carabott have no title over the house they have thrown their son's widow out of, it was announced this evening.

But it is yet unclear whether Mrs Carabott will be allowed to continue living in the house she had lovingly shared with her late husband for 10 years.

Mrs Carabott and her husband Noel, one of the four victims of the Simshar fishing boat tragedy, had been leasing the house from Noel's father Joseph and his sister Dolores. A judge has given Mrs Carabott four months to leave.

But in an unexpected twist of events, the Parliamentary Secretariat for Lands said in a statement this evening that according to research carried out by the Government's Property Division, the in-laws had no title on the property so much so that the Joint Office stopped accepting agricultural lease from them in April 2007.

The secretariat said that in July last year, the Joint Office refused a request from the notary of the Carabott family for Suzanne Buttigieg nee Carabott, Noel's sister, to be recognised as the farmer.

Asked whether Mrs Carabott would be able to continue living in the house, a spokesman for the secretariat said he had no further information to give at this stage. He said that the division would be taking action within the remit of the law.