A rural road leading to a plot of land in Qormi given to Mark Gaffarena as part of a controversial €1.65 million expropriation deal has been paved with concrete from taxpayers’ money and EU funds.

However, adjacent country roads are in a dire need of repair, since some 120 families living on the outskirts of Qormi did not benefit from these works.

B: The road comes to a dead end metres away from Mr Gaffarena’s land.

Residents who spoke to The Sunday Times of Malta questioned how authorities had decided to give priority to this particular road leading to a dead end, when they had been asking for better access to their neighbourhood for many years.

Questions sent to Transport Malta, which carried out these works, remained unanswered.

The plot of agricultural land belonging to Mr Gaffarena is located along the boundary between Żebbuġ and Qormi in the Ħandaq area. The land was part of an expropriation deal through which the government acquired half a property in Old Mint Street, Valletta.

An aerial view of the paved concrete road leading to Mr Gaffarena’s land. Photo: Mepa

Works, which involved the laying of concrete complete with steel mesh along a stretch of 400 metres of rural roads, were completed last Thursday.

Residents close to these paved roads have been long requesting the government and the council to improve access to their area. Their demand stems from the fact that their neighbourhood is only accessible through one entry point along the Qormi-Żebbuġ bypass.

“We are trapped if there is a minor accident because the road is blocked,” one resident told this newspaper.

He added that the solution would be to repair Triq Għarram – a stretch of road some 200 metres long which links their neighbourhood to the Żebbuġ industrial zone. However, residents’ pleas seemed to have fallen on deaf ears as no action was taken to address their complaints

“To add insult to injury, Transport Malta has now paved with concrete a number of rural roads adjacent to Triq Għarram, even though very few people will benefit from them,” he said.

The resident also pointed out how another stretch of road linking the area to the Ħandaq industrial zone, which was a popular thoroughfare with students attending the nearby St Ignatius College had also been excluded.

Timeline

May 31: The Sunday Times of Malta exposes the expropriation deal.

June 1: Planning Parliamentary Secretary Michael Falzon holds press conference saying the deal was only news because of Mr Gaffarena’s surname – says investigation is not necessary.

June 2: The Times of Malta reports it was Mr Gaffarena who had offered to sell the property to the government. Then this newspaper reveals he offered the property for expropriation before he had even bought it.

June 5: An independent assessment by architects commissioned by the Times of Malta shows the parcels of land given to Mr Gaffarena are worth at least double the estimates of government architects.

June 5: The Nationalist Party asks the Auditor General to investigate the deal, listing 18 points for investigation.

June 7: Tonio Mercieca, a member of the family that sold the second part of the property to Mr Gaffarena, tells The Sunday Times of Malta he wants justice – he confirmed the government had not spoken to any property owners and dealt only with Mr Gaffarena.

June 8: The government announces an internal investigation by the unit falling under the Prime Minister’s Office.

June 11: The Times of Malta reveals the seller (Mr Mercieca) faces a potential tax bill that amounts to more than the sum he got for the property from Mr Gaffarena.

June 14: This newspaper reveals Mr Gaffarena has more promise of sale agreements on the property – the government had confirmed it was planning to buy the rest of it.

June 14: The Sunday Times of Malta reveals the Prime Minister had sought the advice of the Attorney General to reverse the deal.