Updated | Labour, PM accuse Bezzina of ‘potential fraud’, MP hits back

The Nationalist MP who is alleged to have fraudulently submitted plans containing an inexistent room in order to facilitate a development application on ODZ land has refuted the prime minister’s claims that it was a case of “potential fraud”, claiming that the Labour Party’s media had manipulated photos.

In a statement, Toni Bezzina, the Nationalist Party’s spokesperson for agriculture and one of the authors of a PN environment policy document, said that he would file libel proceedings against Labour newspaper Kullhadd.

The newspaper claimed that the Nationalist MP – who last week withdrew the contentious application in the wake of a backlash – submitted plans containing an inexistent 31-square metre room in order to facilitate the planning application.

The newspaper, which described the application as having “a strong smell of corruption”, claimed that the room could not be seen in aerial photos dating to 1957 and 1967, and explained that had Bezzina not withdrawn the application, the room in question would have made “all the difference” and would have been “crucial” in the application being approved under a rural development policy that allows the construction of villas in the countryside.

The 1967 aerial photo of the site in question provided by Toni Bezzina purports to show a room in the area marked in red; the Labour Party is insisting that the area is a wall.

The policy allows any structures of “architectural, historical, or vernacular interest” be transformed into dwellings, provided, however, that the existing building to be converted has a minimum area of 100 square metres.

In its report, Kullhadd claimed that Bezzina - who described the roofless structures on the plans as “World War II living quarters” – was “very creative” in his application, and added the 31-square metre room in order for the structures on the plans to make up the required 100 square metres.

Had the room not been added, the site would have only included four structures having an area of a total of 88 square metres, the newspaper claimed.

The newspaper report was picked up by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat earlier today as he claimed that Bezzina’s application was a case of “potential fraud”.

“The story merits attention … This means fraud. It is no longer a matter of the Opposition leader saying that the application has been withdrawn. This is now a case of potential fraud,” Muscat said.

However, in a reaction, Bezzina said the report was an “outright lie” and accused the newspaper of manipulating photos to hide the room referred to in his planning permit application.

“The part of the room is clearly visible in aerial photos used by the Planning Authority … This manipulation is even worse than when they intentionally did not show the existing buildings on either side of the proposed structure I had applied for,” Bezzina said in a statement which included a 1967 Mepa aerial photo of the site in question (above).

The Nationalist MP also insisted that his application was allowed by law and that he had withdrawn it “on point of principle after speaking with Simon Busuttil, and not because of any irregularity.”

Purported room is a wall, Labour Party claims

In a reaction, the Labour Party said that the 1967 aerial photo of the site (above) that Toni Bezzina provided confirmed that the Nationalist MP had submitted plans containing an inexistent room, and that the structure purporting to be a room was in fact a wall.

“If Bezzina is saying that a wall is a kind of room, then he is truly believing his own lies … Toni Bezzina submitted plans containing an inexistent 31 square-metre room, simply because he know that had he not done so, the application would have been rejected instantly.”

“The case is clear: while Bezzina was writing the PN’s environment policy document, he submitted an application in the name of his wife to construct a villa on ODZ land … Bezzina tried to pass off the application as restoration, but Din l-Art Helwa described the application as being deceitful,” the Labour Party said.

The PL also that the Toni Bezzina is the last person who should be believed when filing libel proceedings as he had lost two libel cases surrounding allegations that he had forced workers had been told to carry out works at a PN club during working hours.