Fort San Salvatore in Kalkara, handed by former Prime Minister Dom Mintoff to his brother and four others, was on sale for €3.2 million last April, say private investors.

Interest in developing the fort for commercial purposes has been ongoing, and the 18th-century building is one of the sites suggested as an alternative to the controversial proposal to build a new university at Żonqor Point.

This newspaper revealed last week that one of Mr Mintoff’s last acts before resigning in 1958 was to give the fort to Prestressed Concrete Limited, a company owned by his brother. The ground rent was £100, payable to the Treasury in advance every six months.

The 1958 contract, tabled in Parliament last week, stipulated that the property be given to the company owners for use as a batching plant. It states the fort was given to Raymond Mintoff, Saviour Guillaumier, Louis Naudi, Frank Abela and Francis Dingli. In 1982, again during Mr Mintoff premiership, the emphyteusis for Fort San Salvatore was redeemed and became private property.

The fort – a national cultural heritage site – was then acquired for just Lm2,000 (€4,650). This newspaper is informed that the owners asked for €3.2 million to sell the fort to private investors last April.

Read more in The Sunday Times of Malta.