The planning authority yesterday denied the Opposition’s claim that the file related to the pending permit application for the controversial Żejtun farmhouse linked to Equal Opportunities Minister Helena Dalli had “disappeared”.
At a press conference yesterday morning, Nationalist MP Ryan Callus quoted a story carried by Il-Mument last Sunday that stated the case file related to the farmhouse had been removed. He accused Mepa of covering up for the minister.
When Times of Malta checked the website yesterday, the information was available. In fact, some hours later, Mepa “categorically denied” the claim.
The planning authority pointed out that Mr Callus is a Mepa board member who has the facility to check and address his queries in the appropriate forum before making such allegations.
Mr Callus is a Mepa board member who had the facility to check and address his queries in the appropriate forum before making such allegations
The PN has asked the Ombudman’s office to investigate the case, and the issue was raised during the House Business Committee yesterday.
The Commissioner for Environment and Planning, David Pace, said he was unsure whether an MP could file such a request, noting that an MP had to first file a request in a parliamentary committee. Only if the committee agreed could the request for investigation be filed with the Ombudsman’s office.
The Parliamentary Ombudsman, Chief Justice Emeritus Joseph Said Pullicino, then cited a case earlier this year which involved a request by PN MP Jason Azzopardi that was sent back by the Ombudsman, and eventually turned down by Parliament.
The farmhouse in question is owned by a company belonging to Patrick Dalli, husband of the Equal Opportunities Minister. This newspaper revealed that work was being done on the property that had been served with an enforcement notice due to a list of illegalities. There is a pending application for the planning authority to sanction all illegalities on site.
The Mepa hearing on the case occurred on November 13, a move the Opposition termed “scandalous” since the Environment and Planning Act says that any application to sanction illegalities should be refused immediately if an enforcement notice prohibiting further activity on the site was breached.
The Mepa case officer is recommending refusal because the illegalities on site cannot be condoned even under the revised policy for buildings outside development zones.
The minister and her husband declared they were unaware of works ongoing on the site. Their residential home is a few metres away.
They also said a promise of sale agreement had been made on the property and the works were carried out by the buyer. The agreement has never been published in full despite repeated requests.