Two men have filed judicial protests in court complaining that the Malta Resources Authority was taking its time to grant them licences to distribute and sell LPG gas cylinders. 

In their protests, filed separately in the First Hall of the Civil Court, the men complained that they had been waiting for around a year for licences. 

Nikolai Busuttil and Josef Spagnol filed their protests against Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and the Malta Resources Authority. 

They claimed that they are being discriminated against in the issuing of licences for distributing LPG.

Mr Busuttil has pending criminal proceedings for distributing gas cylinders without a licence. 

They explained that they had applied for the necessary licence, having satisfied all the requirements as laid down by law. However, they were informed that, in spite of satisfying all criteria, their licence would not be issued “for the time being”.

The plaintiffs argued that the Authority was legally bound to process applications for LPG distribution within three months of receipt.

They further complained that by procrastinating in issuing the licences, the authority was breaching the law. 

They complained that the Government had arbitrarily chosen a limited number of distributors and they were just as qualified so this amounted to discrimination. They insisted on a level playing field and expect to receive the same treatment as others in the field. 

The men not only asked for the licences to be issued immediately but also called on the government to pay them damages. 

Lawyer Robert Abela signed the protests.