Transport Malta approves WT Global’s illegally built garage

Transport Malta has approved a parking facility built by Malta’s largest cab company, WT Global, despite it having no planning permit. 

The site in question concerns a building in Kordin, which WT Global wanted to transform into a public service garage (PSG) to park its unused cabs. 

Even though the planning application is still awaiting recommendation, the works have been completed. During a visit to the area, MaltaToday even found a number of WT Global’s cabs parked inside the garage facility. 

Nonetheless, an affidavit presented in court by one of WT’s employees suggests that Transport Malta has given its clearance for the Kordin garage even though no planning permit has been issued. Transport Malta did not reply to questions sent by this newspaper. 

WT Global, which owns more than 300 cabs and is Malta’s largest cab operator, is currently appealing the revocation of its operating licence in court. In January, the company was among several operators whose licences were revoked. 

A spokesperson for Transport Malta had told MaltaToday at the time that the revocation followed false declarations submitted to the authority, which fraudulently listed addresses as commercial garages. The spokesperson also stated that by 18 April 2025, operators must secure enough public service garages to park their cabs overnight. 

Court documents that form part of the company’s appeal, show that one of its employees testified that TM had sent officials and an architect to inspect a number of garaging facilities. This followed a meeting between WT Global’s representatives and senior TM officials, including authority CEO Kurt Farrugia and Head of Enforcement Claudio Spiteri, among others. 

According to the employee’s sworn affidavit, the TM officials informed WT Global that an inspection of the company’s facilities would take place the following day, 23 January 2025, and that the authority also suggested removing a number of garaging facilities from its licence in order to comply with regulations. 

The next day, TM officials and an architect inspected seven of the company’s garages, one of which was the site in Kordin. 

“Both the TM officials and the architect who was with them said that everything looks fine,” the affidavit reads. “So much so that they said they didn’t understand why they had suspended [WT Global’s] operations, because everything was regular.” 

The employee further stated that TM officials told him that if they saw the company’s cars on the road, they would no longer be stopped. 

In replies sent to MaltaToday, the Planning Authority said that the case is being investigated by its Compliance and Enforcement Directorate, confirming that the site is already being used as a public service garage.