The Planning Authority is still to serve an enforcement order against Minister Ian Borg and his wife after the swimming pool at their residence was declared illegal by the country’s highest court.
While the PA is tiptoeing around issuing an enforcement notice ordering the minister to remove the illegal pool and return the site to its original agricultural use, The Shift is informed that Prime Minister Robert Abela has informally directed the PA to go slow for fear of another political backlash from the popular minister as the Labour Party continues to dip in the polls.
Abela is refusing to take any action against Ian Borg even though the latter was shown to have used his influence to acquire a permit. He proceeded with the development even when it was being challenged in court.
In his one mild reaction, Abela went into the legalisms of the permit the court decided was illicit, stating that Borg “should be treated like any other citizen” while completely skirting the issue of political responsibility.
Oliver Magro, the former OPM consultant that Abela chose as the PA’s CEO, is reportedly resisting recommendations from senior PA officials to issue the enforcement order accompanied by fines.
An enforcement order and a €50 daily fine until the site is restored to its original state should have been issued right after the court sentence.
The PA has not replied to questions sent two weeks ago on what action was taken following the court ruling and to explain why an enforcement order has not yet been issued, the PA has not replied despite several reminders.
Minister Borg refuses to react to the court’s ruling, not even when reminded by The Shift that he had ignored the appeals process and steamrolled ahead with the development.
Robert Abela, himself a PA consultant for many years, also declined to reply to The Shift’s questions.
A fortnight ago, the court, for the second time, declared the PA had acted illegally when it gave Borg a permit to turn an agricultural field in the hamlet of Santa Katerina into a pool and entertainment area.
Even though the local plan does not allow for such developments, the PA and its appeals board issued an illegal permit twice, the court has confirmed. Borg was the minister responsible for the PA at the time.
The pool development came years after another controversial permit involving his house, also built with an irregular permit. The Ombudsman had declared the development permission a “gross mistake” that should be reversed.
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#Appeals Court
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#Ian Borg
#Malta
#Oliver Magro
#Planning Authority
#pool
#swimming pool
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The pigs are looking after the pigs.
A government that ignores court rulings is a dictatorship.
So because of nuxellina’s screaming at the judge to take action against Mark Camilleri and the speed of light reaction by the judge , the AG and the Sleeping commissioner , Mark Camilleri was served with an arrest order within 24 hours.
But NOT Ian Borg. Who is the defender of the Constitution in these situations?
In both cases it is a case of Contempt of Court.
Mela dan mhux disprezz lejn il-Qorti?
The PL and the PM as their top ‘leader’ are getting nervous because the PL is losing credibility among their own voters and play the usual game, deflect and distract and if that doesn’t help, just do nothing and sit it out.
There has been some crookery during all periods in Malta’s history. An undermining of the law and order system which is enshrined in the consitutuion of Malta hasn’t seen the scale of what is on display by this and previous PL govts before. They really have it in their guts to further undermine the whole fundament of the Republic of Malta and make all its instituions and those people who work in these a mockery for the sake of pleasing the personal luxury appetite and arrogance as well as status for their ministers.
Surely, this Friday they will act as if nothing happened and celebrate Freedom Day without the slightest regrets about anything, not just this case at hand, but the even bigger scandals included. What a sad bunch of egotistical and greedy people they are. The constitution and thus the Republic of Malta itself means nothing to them and in hindsight, Freedom Day was just the start of the ‘day of freedom for the MLP to rule as they please’. Nothing has changed this attitude ever since. The longer they have been in power, the worse things have developed in due time.
Abela is tarred with the same brush as Borg so he really can’t do or say anything or Borg can leak the murky deals abela has been Involved in maybe?
That spoon of heroin is already wearing off, and there?s plenty more in his stash.
And what about Montekristo? Slowly slowly it is being sanctioned.
Take for example the hideous building . Hotel or flats..jutting in the middle of the road on ODZ.. sanctioned..now they are trying to cook a law to sanction the animal concentration camp..