A government department whose services were sought by many, especially notaries and their staff, remained neglected for many years and was “in shambles with the situation now being almost inhuman”, the Times of Malta was told.
Formerly a division of Identity Malta, the Land Registry, in West Street, Valletta, resembled a building hit by enemy fire during World War II, a frequent client complained to this newspaper.
“We have been telling the government, particularly the Transport Ministry responsible for the department, about the embarrassing situation for a long time”, an employee said, insisting on anonymity.
“The building is falling to pieces and it is not even adequate to be used as a pigsty. Still, no one ever bothered to take the initiative. The place has not been plastered or whitewashed for long years,” another staff member commented.
A senior official who has been working there for many years said the office, which mostly dealt with the registration of promises of sale and sale contracts of land and buildings worth millions of euros, remarked that the situation had been deteriorating and had now become almost “ridiculous”.
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“Apart from the state of the building, which is almost dangerous with structural cracks appearing everywhere, basic requirements, such as regular cleaning and maintenance, are not met.
Dustbins remain full, files are all over the place and the toilets are almost no-go areas. Filth is everywhere
“Dustbins remain full, files are all over the place and the toilets are almost no-go areas. Filth is everywhere and it seems many of our clients have accepted this as a permanent state of affairs,” the official added.
But, according to the reports reaching this newspaper, the physical state of the department is not the only problem there.
A staff member claimed that “many senior employees” seemed to have ample time on their hands to do private work. “It is an open secret that some employees are ‘attached’ to certain notaries and their private offices and give them priority in their requirements,” another said.
A notary who spoke to this newspaper on condition of confidentiality admitted that people in his profession were aware of “who works for who in the department”, adding the practice was practically “accepted” now.
Just a few days ago, the government announced that the department, where about 25 employees work, would be transformed into a new state-owned agency, independent of Identity Malta. Both staff members and clients expressed the hope the move would give a fresh start to the department, though others expressed scepticism, arguing that some senior officials at the registry had too much to lose if things were reformed and operations progressed in a proper and orderly manner.
Questions to the Transport Ministry on the state of affairs of the building hosting the department and its future plans to reform the archaic system used in the way the registry operated remained unanswered at the time of writing.
ivan.camilleri@timesofmalta.com