Lands Department evicts 80 year-old business to extend ‘private’ yacht club

A Judge will tomorrow hear submissions by a businessman who is suing the Lands Department for evicting his business from Ta’ Xbiex after more than 80 years, to accommodate a further extension of the Royal Malta Yacht Club.

4 May 2011, 12:00am
by Karl Stagno-Navarra

2 min read

The court is being asked to issue a prohibitory injunction against the Lands Department from evicting the premises ‘Irrera’ which has been operated by Alfred Dimech, and previously by his father and uncle.

Dimech claims that his action is to seek redress and protect his livelihood and goodwill of a business that has been existing for more than 80 years.

In a Warrant of Prohibitory Injunction that was filed last week by his lawyer James D’Agostino, Alfred Dimech revealed how he was given an order of eviction by the Director of Lands after investing his entire livelihood to build the establishment.

Some time around 1995, Dimech was asked to move further down the Ta’ Xbiex seafront (where the establishment is today) so that government could accommodate the Malta Maritime Authority.

It appears however that government has now given the entire stretch of land where Irrera and Guze’ restaurant stand, to the Royal Malta Yacht Club. Dimech was ordered to vacate the premises with immediate effect.

Through his lawyers, Alfred Dimech stressed that it is pertinent to note that the Royal Malta Yacht Club is indicated on its website as a “private club”, so government cannot argue that it was reclaiming public land for a public purpose.

“Rather it is giving a huge portion of land for the benefit of a select few who had to be removed from Manoel Island due to the Midi project,” Dimech said, adding that it the club was apparently illegally occupying the space on Manoel Island.

Dimech claims that through his eviction, both himself and the business will suffer irremediable damages, especially when officials at the Yacht Club had informally told him that they “didn’t need the premises” but once government has given it to them, then they going to keep it.

In a sitting to be heard tomorrow before Judge Joseph R Micallef, the plaintiff will insist for a prohibitory injunction to stop the Lands Department from shutting down his legitimate business that has been the sole livelihood of three generations in his family.