The government is using illegal billboards in information campaigns funded by taxpayers’ money, Times of Malta can confirm.
Some of them, including the one in Msida circus, are covered by Mepa enforcement notices and had been used by the Labour Party in the electoral campaign.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister did not deny the government was using illegal billboards but when asked to state why, he said: “The legal regime regulating educative, cultural, political or social adverts is different from that applicable to commercial adverts.”
Joseph Muscat’s office did not identify which company was getting paid for the adverts, how much and whether a call for proposals had been issued. Mepa confirmed to Times of Malta that several billboards being used for government campaigns are illegal and covered by enforcement notices.
The priority is the removal of illegal development in environmentally and heritage sensitive areas
A senior Mepa official rubbished the PM’s justification of there being different rules for commercial adverts. According to legal notices, the information boards still need to be covered by a permit and when used for non-commercial purposes are only allowed to be up for 28 days, he said.
“It is a fact that the government is using billboards which have been served with enforcement notices. This makes them illegal,” he said.
However, the planning authority has not acted on these illegalities and a Mepa spokesman said the boards were not a priority.
“The priority is the removal of illegal development in environmentally and heritage sensitive areas or where the illegalities are potentially affecting the wellbeing of neighbours,” he said.
However, sources close to Mepa told Times of Malta it has been given informal political direction to refrain from taking action.
“Most of the illegal billboards were placed on Maltese roads by the Labour Party and used in the last electoral campaign. After the election they were kept in place and used commercially,” the sources said.
“Now the government is using the same illegal billboards to mount its own campaigns.”
Last month Mepa told this newspaper that only 117 billboards around the islands had a permit and that 70 others were registered as illegal and had been served with enforcement notices.
However, Times of Malta is informed the real total of illegal billboards is about 150, including those not registered by the authority.
Guidelines on how to erect billboards and avoid traffic hazards are also being completely disregarded.
The billboards should not be placed within 50 metres of any approach to major roads, junctions or pedestrian crossings, nor on any part of the carriageway. Billboards on pavements are also illegal.