Owners of pharmacy in Freedom Square open court case
The owners of a pharmacy in Freedom Square have today opened a court case against the government and the Medicines Authority, complaining that they have not been given a temporary licence in order to operate from alternative premises after they move because of the City Gate project.
The case follows a judicial protest they filed last Tuesday.
Chemimart Ltd are saying that shop owners in Freedom Square and the site of the former opera house which were affected by the project had been given alternative premises or been paid compensation.
The Commissioner of Lands had also offered alternative premises in Valletta for the pharmacy but the move could not take place because of objections by third parties. No alternative had since been offered.
The pharmacy owners, on February 15, had requested a temporary licence to enable them to move to other premises which they themselves owned in 20-21 Republic Street. But although these premises were suitable for use as a pharmacy, a temporary licence had still not been issued.
The pharmacy owners said this failure constituted discrimination since agreement for the transfer of all the other Freedom Square businesses, or the payment of compensation, had been reached. This failure was causing damages to the company and could cause its employees their job.
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L.Fava
Mar 28th 2010, 09:19
L'anqas jien ma nafhom sirt nafhom wara li smajt l'ahbarijiet u -kumment kont diga ktibtu. Xorta nibqa nghid li jekk kienu qed ihallsu kera baxxa dak kien skond il-ftehim li kien hemm qabel. Good luck to them, aktar hija kerha meta art tkun green area u mbaghad tinghata ghal bini ghal xi ras kbira jew xi qarib.
colin stanley
Mar 27th 2010, 13:39
We are supposed to be living in a democratic country (EU ).with a free market and no monopoly, so why isn't this gentleman not allowed to run his business from his own property in republic street (Kingsway )
R.Lewis
Mar 27th 2010, 09:31
@ L.Fava and Paul Vella. Jekk ikollok hanut mikri minn ghand il privat u jalaq il-kuntratt tahseb li s-sid sejjer itiek xi post alternativ jew xi somma flus. Kull ma jaghmel jitfak il barra u daqshekk. Kos jien kont self employed u waqaft u ma giex il Gvern itini xejn, la flus u l-anqas xoghol. Ara lil tat tarzna u lil tal-linja taghhom. Hekk sew u il-poplu ihallas.
L.Fava
Mar 27th 2010, 08:02
Tkunx ghajjur kull min kien hemm suppost bill-permess jekk ma kellhomx tul dan iz-zmien ta min hu it-tort? Kullhadd min kien hemm ghandu jkollu post alternattiv u adekwat xejn izjed u xejn anqas.
Paul Vella
Mar 27th 2010, 06:52
@E Vassallo.
My friend,jien dawn ma nafhomx,imma mhux tajjeb tirraguna hekk.Il Prim Ministru taghna dejjem ihambaq li hu u il gvern tieghu dejjem jirraguna il kaz u fejn ikun hemm bzonn jghati kumpens bhal ma ghamel ma tal linja,tad dockyard u ohrajn.Spicca zmien tas sebghinijiet li li gvern jehodlok li jkollok bhal espropriation u jibghatek tittallab!Jew kien jkollok dar vojta jehodhielek u jtiha lil xi bazzuzlu bkera baxxa!(zmien id decontrol)Nirringrazzjaw il bambin li qed nghixu f'pajjiz demokratiku!
C Galea
Mar 27th 2010, 00:18
Yes give them a licence but make sure that they stay at this address being as they own the premises and that may stop them fro any future cheap rent. Sounds like a good case of greed to me?
E. Vassallo
Mar 26th 2010, 18:35
Compensation for what??For having occupied government premises for ages and for what???Come on tell us how much were you paying annually.
F. Buttigieg
Mar 26th 2010, 21:03
E. Vassallo, This organisation has occupied property for ages and paid a cheap annual lease based on their contract and on local law, just like most Maltese who occupy leases or property of third parties.
The difference is that Government being powerful and able to evict its tenants, while the private person is lumped with having to except unwanted tenants at prehistoric rates even with the new rent laws. If we where all equal then the private individual should be able to evict tenants if he wishes to develop his property yet this is far from reality.
Being a commercial organisation that invested and maintained the property for so many years, it is only fair that they are allowed to continue to operate in their own property and are given the required licence to do so.
After all, all the others have been provided alternatives paid from our taxes, and we will also have to pay for the project in question even if most of us do not want the project.