The Government Property Division said this morning that during the removal of Magic Kiosk yesterday, €530.18, five diaries and keys were returned to the operator by officials from the Lands Department in the presence of a police inspector

The government said in a statement that all this was documented in a receipt signed by all parties involved. The operator also declared in writing that, as far as he knew, there was no other cash on site. Food was donated to the Dar tal-Providenza.

The government said that the operator had had more than enough time to make the necessary preparations to evacuate the place. He had been informed that the lease had expired partly in 2004 and partly in 2008 so he had no right or title on the land.

For the past four years, the government said, the operator had been occupying part of the site without having title to it and the Lands Department informed the operators through a judiciary protest last July that the lease was not going to be renewed.