Tourism Minister awards ‘star’ prize to illegal Msida restaurant

A restaurant in Msida, which has been allowed for years to operate from government-owned premises without any form of title and with a pending eviction following a court order, was given an award by Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo just a few weeks ago.

La Vela restaurant, situated on the water’s edge of the Msida Marina, with direct open views of the picturesque sea enclave, was presented the MTA’s ‘Star Awards’ certificate.

Countersigned by the chairman of the MTA, Gavin Gulia, and the president of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA), Tony Zahra, the MTA scheme encourages restaurant owners to uphold the finest industry standards.

Operated by Noi Tre Ltd, a company co-owned by Michelle Muscat, Noel Mifsud and an Italian businessman, La Vela has been operating from the Msida Marina government premises without a title for more than a decade.

Although the Rent Regulation Board in 2018 issued a court order for the occupiers of the premises to be evicted, as they are considered to be squatters on public property, the Lands Authority has done nothing to uphold the court order and the restaurant is still up and running to this day.

Only a few weeks ago, the court reiterated its position that the premises are being occupied by La Vela illegally and the operators should have been evicted by the authorities long ago. It questioned why the Lands Authority has not acted to stop the blatant abuse.

Through a case instituted by Albert and Yolanda Bone from Valletta against Michelle Muscat, the couple claimed they are owed over €60,000 in unpaid rent dues from a sub-lease contract they signed with Muscat in 2008.

The court established that while it was true that the Bones’ originally had the title of the premises to operate a snack bar, their action to sub-lease the government property was illegal and breached the conditions of the original deed they had acquired through the Lands Department in the ’90s.

This, the court said, effectively rendered null and void any sort of contract they had entered into with Michelle Muscat, with the court throwing out their case to claim dues from La Vela’s co-owner.

The court observed that while the Bones’ had acted illegally, it noted that the court had already ordered the eviction of the premises of the current occupiers, who don’t hold any title.

It is not yet known why the Lands Authority has been delaying its action to uphold the court’s eviction order since 2018.