Lands inquiry: AG requests magistrate to conclude 2013 investigation

The Attorney General’s office has presented seven court application calling on Magistrate Monica Vella to give a clear explanation as to why a magisterial inquiry on fraud, trading in influence and corruption opened in May 2013 has not as yet been concluded.  

The seven-year long inquiry refers to the transfer of public land to private homeowners by the Lands Department in Cospicua Road, Għajn Dwieli, Paola.  

The Attorney General was replying to a request for clarification by Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi, the former parliamentary secretary for lands when the transfer took place.  

Azzopardi passed on a copy of this letter to MaltaToday which he received on Friday after he was quizzed a day before on the TVM discussion show Xtra about the ongoing magisterial inquiry.

The Attorney General confirmed with Azzopardi that the magistrate has been referred to Article 550 of the Criminal Code, which obliges a magistrate to report why an inquiry has not been finalised. The inquiry was initiated on 8 May 2013 after a report which alleged that public land had been transferred illegally was presented to the Police Commissioner, by the then parliamentary secretary responsible for lands, Michael Farrugia.

At the time the Commissioner of Police, Peter Paul Zammit, had instructed Inspector Jonathan Ferris to investigate the allegation. A day later, a magisterial inquiry was opened on the 9 May, and placed under the lead of Magistrate Giovanni Grixti. 

In 2015, the case was passed over to Magistrate Monica Vella after Grixti was elevated to Judge. Vella still presides over the inquiry.  

In 2015 Jason Azzopardi presented a court application calling on Magistrate Vella to close the inquiry, offering to assist her in the findings of the inquiry. He argued in his application that he had done nothing irregular and the whole process was above board and correct, and that failure to close the inquiry would turn the whole episode into a political controversy.  

Since then, Azzopardi has become legal counsel to Ferris. The former police inspector could face charges of perjury over a recommendation from Egrant inquiry magistrate Aaron Bugeja.

Azzopardi posted his letter to the magistrate on his Facebook profile.