Parliamentary committee concludes AUM land transfer debate without agreement

A second meeting of the parliamentary national audit office accounts committee held today lasted less than 30 minutes, with Nationalist MP Marthese Portelli calling the process “a sham”.

The committee met at 8.30pm following an agreement by both sides of the House. It had already met earlier in the day but further discussion was required. The government had also agreed to pass on the necessary documentation to the opposition requested earlier in the day.

Yet, no documentation was passed on this evening. The discussion will continue tomorrow in the plenary. No time limit is set for Tuesday's discussion, meaning that the debate on the transfer of land at Zonqor and Dock 1 in Cospicua to Jordanian construction company Sadeen Group will go on until all points are exhausted.

Chaired by Economy Minister Chris Cardona, the committee was attended to by a number of Cabinet members and staff at the Office of the Prime Minister including the chief of staff, Keith Schembri.

Portelli pressed hard on seeking answers as to why the government had sidelined MEPA’s proposal to utilize land in Tarxien for the development of an AUM campus, as an alternative to Zonqor.

Government whip Godfrey Farrugia however said the government had allocated the area for a social housing development project. Asked when such a decision had been taken, none of the government members offered a reply.

Portelli complained that that her questions were not being replied. At times, she was stopped by Cardona “because the questions were about planning”.

The PN MP decried the process “a complete sham from beginning to end” because questions were not being answered and documents promised never delivered.

Backbencher Charles Mangion was not in a position to provide the land value of the Tarxien site and of Zonqor Point. He however retorted that it was “definitely much cheaper than Smart City”, after a piece of land at Smart City was reportedly sold for €5 million.

In an attempt to provide Portelli with an answer for her questions, Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi said that the contract provided tight conditions and spoke against land speculation.

Asking what would happen if MEPA does not approve the permit for the Zonqor site, Fenech questioned whether MEPA was being forced to approve the permits.

However, Mangion argued that terms and concessions were always subject to permits and approval of authorities.

“It is not the government that issues permits,” he said.