Mepa sticks to its guns
Mepa this evening stuck to comments it issued last week when it criticised its audit officer over a report he issued on a permit granted for development at Qala ridge in Gozo.
Reacting to a statement by the Church's environment commission, Mepa said that while it respected the commission's opinion, the Auditor chose to ignore or omit a number of issues in his final report even though the Authority had given detailed explanation and planning reasons as to why the permit was issued at the reconsideration stage.
It said that at reconsideration stage, the drawings were amended and the ones approved showed that the development was to be all within the category 1 settlement zone, that Policy (GZ-RLST-1) was correctly interpreted by the DCC and that the proposed three storey development was in accordance with the ridge edge policy that governs such developments.
The Authority also questioned how the Auditor queried the validity of the photomontages presented by the applicant and seemed to favour those handed in by the objectors which were totally misleading and not based on the actual plans.
Mepa also noted a statement issued this afternoon by the Ombudsman and said that Judge Said Pullicino had reiterated the advice given to the Audit Officer by the Ombudsman in 2005 to suspend investigations and publications of his findings when planning cases are sub judice. A case in point was the Qala Development case, Mepa said.
The Ombudsman, it said, pointed out that the Audit Officer should not have published the report so as not to ‘potentially prejudice the outcome before the Appeals Board but also by the basic principle that every administrative body has the duty to respect judicial authorities and quasi judicial authorities, to avoid exerting undue influence to ensure that the final binding decision is taken serenely, fairly, free from external pressures and strictly according to laws and regulations.'
Mepa also noted the Ombudsman's comments that currently there is no institutional relationship between his Office and that of Mepa's Audit Officer.
It agreed that the function of the Audit Office should be migrated to the Ombudsman's Office and have a mandate under the Ombudsman Act.
"This measure will increase accountability and ensure that the rights and interests of all the different elements in society are safeguarded," the Authority said.
22 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Joseph Ellis
Nov 18th 2009, 10:57
What an exercise in doublespeak. Orwell would have been proud.
There is no need for the MEPA auditor to migrate to the Ombudsman's office as complaints can still be made directly to the Ombudsman as used to be the case prior to the establishment of the MEPA Auditor. MEPA can instead decide to suppress the office of the Ombudsman and then, complainants can seek redress directly from the Ombudsman. The MEPA auditor was instituted in the first place to reduce the number of complaints that were being made to the Ombudsman but MEPA seems to be now losing sight of the original objective of the Auditor's office.
It would have been quite positive had MEPA stated what it thinks of the Ombudsman's suggestion that construction be suspended pending third party appeal proceedings. I find no reference to his strong recommendation in its statement.
Mark Galea
Nov 18th 2009, 10:50
By the way, when MEPA issues a statement, who is responsible for that statement? Chairman? or the famous DCC boards?
J Farrugia
Nov 18th 2009, 08:25
Mr Falzon is just one of us no more no less, subject to err like you and me. So enough of these crocodile tears for the Auditor. What if he (allahares qatt) is incapable of doing his work? Will it be the end of the world? There are far more people able and more trustworthy than the actual one. So what's all this fuss about? Hidden agendas?????
M.Ciantar
Nov 18th 2009, 04:37
Typical Gonzi PN style. The minute you criticise them they do their best to downgrade you and there are no limits to the tactics used.
Democracy and GonziPN do not live together.
Ray Sultana
Nov 18th 2009, 00:15
What Mepa conveniently 'forgets' to mention is that while it is hiding behind the 'sub judice' argument, the speculator can keep on with the development because he has the permits in hand. By the time the appeal is heard and concluded the damage would have been done. This makes an appeal a practically useless tool.
If Mepa wants to be believed it should stop the development until the appeal is heard and concluded. Of course Mepa won't do that... that would not benefit the speculator.
Regarding the photomontages, we all know which ones Mepa believes, the ones of the speculator, taken from considerable distances... reminds me of the Mistra Village site photomontages! Some people have absolutely no shame!
Steve Borg
Nov 18th 2009, 00:03
Il-punt kardinali lil hinn minn min għandu raġun fil-każ tal-Qala huwa wieħed:
Il-proġett se jgħarraq id-dehra estetika ta' Fuq il-Ġebel (il-Belvedere) tal-Qala?
Iva jew le? In-nanna tiegħi ma marritx l-Universita' u ma kenitx arbitru legali...imma taf tagħraf is-sabiħ mill-ikrah. Il-MEPA bħal qishom iridu jagħtuna x'nifhmu li huma l-oraklu u l-bqija tal-poplu żbaljati.
Tant hawn każi li huma mbarazzanti u inkwetanti u li jnawwru s-sisien tal-kunċett ta' qafas nazzjonali ta' protezzjoni olistika ambjentali li naħseb aħjar toqgħod id-dar b'imħadda fuq rasek u tħalli l-ispekulaturi jkissru l-pajjiż.
U mela jippruvaw jieħdu r-raġun meta m'għandhomx. Il-mod kif saru l-affarijiet fil-każ tal-impjant tar-riċiklaġġ b'konsultazzjoni farsa u r-rapport tal-awditur Falzon iffriżżat juru l-livell ta' trasparenza f'pajjiżna,
Q
Stephen Borg Cardona
Nov 17th 2009, 23:53
One wonders whether any of the people at MEPA love Malta ?
N. Buckle
Nov 17th 2009, 22:34
MEPA may issue a million statements. Its credibility is NIL.
Paul Barrett
Nov 17th 2009, 22:16
Adding to the confusion from MEPA, it used to be quite easy to look up on-line, any building applications that had been submitted for the area of particular interest. The "new" MEPA site makes it almost impossible for anyone to find out anything about what is going on in their area. Great improvement in hiding things from anyone who might have an interest in protecting both their own property and any historical items in the area.
A.Camilleri
Nov 17th 2009, 21:34
Whatever is now being said by MEPA, the Qala development should NOT be approved. The ridge edge should NOT be touched for development. Leave the Qala belevedere as is please. Bukkett does not need extending; it could be improved upon but without exceeding it present outline. And Mr. Falzon should be protected and not attacked for defending our environment! NGOs please fight on to defend the non-approval of this Qala application.
Dr Francis Saliba
Nov 17th 2009, 21:17
Is the joint attack on MEPA's auditor a foretaste of the promised MEPA reform?
James A. Tyrrell
Nov 17th 2009, 20:42
Correction Joe Busuttil, ALL decent people side with Dr Falzon. Mepa have shown that they cannot be trusted.
Joe Busuttil
Nov 17th 2009, 20:22
Most decent people still side with Dr Falzon
C Muscat
Nov 17th 2009, 20:06
The MEPA chairman is the political appointment Austin Walker. So he is the person responsible for the shameful attacks.
Of course since he is a political appointment, GonziPN is also responsible.
Mario Attard
Nov 17th 2009, 20:02
MEPA's reputation is down the drain. No doubt about that!
Neville Cassar
Nov 17th 2009, 19:48
Is this the treatment you get for doing your job thoroughly in the goverment departments? Is this the attitude that one gets when ensuring that procedures are done and done correctly?
Is this the reform we were promised at MEPA? Instead of straighening the agency... was it meant to hush up everything... to seem like the house is in order?
MEPA shooting itself in its own foot... the article explains it all.
Marcel Dingli
Nov 17th 2009, 19:42
@ C Farrugia
Who said there is no violence. No physical violence yes, but we are full of psycological violence, worse than physical violence if you tell me.
MSciberras
Nov 17th 2009, 19:41
Ha ha ha good one!!! QUOTE......... function of the Audit Office should be migrated to the Ombudsman's Office and have a mandate under the Ombudsman Act UNQUOTE. The Ombudsman's office is a national office that is there for ^citizens to resort to where they feel all the civil procedures available at their disposable have been insufficient to prevent a perceoved injustice......building permits are not the only îssue in Malta...why not migrate the intenal audit functîon of every parastatal agency and the whole civil service to the Ombudsman while we are about it!!!!!!!!!!!
Sergio Galea Vincenti
Nov 17th 2009, 19:34
MEPA's statements are beyond comment... Seems like some people never learn. Nice going!
Joseph Calleja
Nov 17th 2009, 19:23
Mepa sticks to its guns! What did anybody expect? An apology or admittance of wrong doing? Building permits are not always posted for the public to see and analyse, or for an unknown reason they are only posted for a very short period. Why are meetings held in such secrecy? MEPA is a government agency and should be very transparent to the general public unless there is something to hide. Maybe a thorough investigation of MEPA is warranted?
C. Farrugia
Nov 17th 2009, 19:19
Whoever is writing on behalf of MEPA must be blind not to see the damage MEPA is doing to itself and to Malta. To err is human but to persist is diabolical. MEPA is arriving at a point that it will be impossible to reform and will need disbanding and reconstruction same as the PAPB in the late 1980s. There is a full circle to be run in Maltese politics. Excepting the violence in the roads we are back to the late 1980s politically, economically, morally etc..
J. Schembri
Nov 17th 2009, 19:02
We know exactly who the Mepa Auditor is; it's Professor Falzon.
Now can anyone tell us who is writing and hiding behind the name of MEPA? Is it the chairman?Is it the MEPA board? If so at what time did MEPA meet ?Were minutes of the meeting taken?
If there is no reply then it must be another coward.