Lands Minister Silvio Schembri’s wife has set up a property development business while her husband is in charge of public land and has been at the centre of several scandals in which he has handed out public property to major developers for a pittance.
Filed at the Malta Business Registry (MBR) last year, where Deandra Schembri works as the regulator’s chief legal officer, DZF Ltd was registered at the couple’s residence in Luqa.
The company is fully owned by the Lands Minister’s wife, who is also acting as the company’s sole director.
According to the company’s memorandum and articles of association, the company’s main objective is property speculation, including the acquisition and excavation of building sites, construction and the provision of construction materials.
While the Lands Minister does not appear anywhere on the company’s documents, he owns half of the company through the community of acquests with his wife. This is confirmed through his declaration of assets, where he lists his wife’s new property development business.
The minister refused to reply to questions on his wife’s new private business venture and on whether he considers this ethical since he is responsible for handing out public land, both commercial and industrial.
He also declined to state whether he has asked for the prime minister’s advice over this potential conflict of interest in line with the ministerial code of ethics.
Government sources have told The Shift that the fact that the Lands Minister’s wife now has a private property development business is a red flag.
“Minister Schembri deals with big businessmen wanting to acquire and develop public land at advantageous rates on a daily basis. One can just only imagine the conflicts when his wife is now operating in the same business, including the acquisition of land, architects, valuations and the supply of building materials.”
Schembri involved in several public land-related controversies
Since Silvio Schembri was made responsible for the Lands Authority and Indis Malta, several stories involving his connections to various land speculators and property developers have emerged.
The latest involves developer Josef Dimech was granted a massive plot of public land in Hal Far to turn most of it into rentable space not associated with his aluminium business.
This plot, valued at €17 million, was granted by Indis Malta under the chairmanship of Jean Pierre Attard, Schembri’s chief canvasser.
According to law, industrial public property cannot be subleased.
The same happened earlier in another deal with Carmelo Penza, another property developer.
Earlier this year, Schembri was also involved in another scandal when a massive plot of public land in Mellieha, with an estimated value of €12 million, was suddenly issued for tender to be turned into blocks of flats given to Paul Attard, the secretary general of the Malta Developers Association and a main shareholder in GAP developments, and Paul Vella, known as Tal-Ballut .
The Shift later established a direct link between Minister Schembri and GAP’s Paul Attard, as an apartment in Luqa, built by Attard, has been serving as Schembri’s constituency office in Luqa. Both the Minister and Attard refused to state whether the minister was paying any rent for Attard’s property.
The same pattern was established for another constituency office in Siggiewi, used by Schembri for years. The Shift revealed how this property is owned by Anton Camilleri, known as il-Franciz, an established developer who is now expected to turn Villa Rosa in St George’s Bay into a massive development engulfing the whole bay.
A few months ago, the Lands Authority transferred land to Camilleri at rates below market value, which he needed to complete the land puzzle involving his controversial Villa Rosa proposal.
More public land was given to the Zammit Tabonas for their lido in Tigne, as well as to Ninu Fenech’s Tum Invest and Burmarrad Commercials business development in Marsa in the area around the former Edible Oil factory, among others.
Schembri put his most trusted canvassers, Jean Pierre Attard, Francoise Piccione and Roberta Albanese Dalli, in key positions at both the Lands Authority and Indis Malta.
Kriminali.
Kriminali.
Kriminali.
Kriminali.
Kriminali.
The PL in power, is not there to serve Malta and it’s citizens. It is there to ally itself with strong lobby groups that will eventually lead on ensuring a wealthy and prosperous future, both as politicians and when retiring from politics.
This is the new form of socialism that the PL has adopted well before 2013.
Now, is this not what is termed as insider trading? No wonder Malta and Gozo is being administered by incompetent persons of trust and friends of friends.
The oath of office is not worth the paper that it’s written on.
What oath , these when time comes should ALL be accused of betraying the Oath they took. Kissing the Bible and all that it means, and for those morons who do not , that means And May God Be My Witness. And God will , and the wages are not sent on weekends neither by direct transfer nor bitcoin.
Yes, it is a red flag for insider trading.
There is a blatant breach of independence and ethics.
Both Silvio Schembri and his spouse are politically exposed persons.
The Prime Minister is absolutely irresponsible for giving Silvio Schembri the infrastructure ministry and is clear evidence that he is not fit for purpose.
I also question whether the cabinet members sign an annual declaration that they have no conflicts of interests.
Komplu ghaffgu. Komplu tbieghdu mill idea ta’ socjaliżmu demokratiku. Komplu itfghu ic centre of vital interest fil kamp tal lemin, ipokriti u nies bla kuxjenza
Kemm ilni nghid! They are all in it together!! Tghid ma jaghtux art pubblika lil privat hekk ta xejn! Kull ma qed jaghmlu hu jinhbew wara isem l izviluppatur!! Ghalhekk dal bini kollu! Its their business!!
Tal biza. I have one question, why other newspapers doesn’t publish these scandalous news?
Because they are on the payroll
Mejtin bil-guh
Eva, Is-Serp , Adam u it-tuffieha ta li-zvillup.
U tefaghhom il-bara fejn hemm it-tbatija , u dawn jahsbu li dak li jisiqu igawduh? Kemm sejrin zmerc. Hemm hafna kantunieri fil-hajja , u fl-ahhar jitdhlu fi sqaq li ma johorgux minnu. Wiehed wara wiehed wara wiehed.
Prosit Robert Abela / Aka George abela kif xh….. pajjiz !
Ma nafx hux veru imma smajt li x xih li semmejt indahhal fil bini li waqa li bhalissa ghaddejja nkjesta! Hemm bzonn min jindaga naqra fil fond!
Lorry Sant was an altar boy, compared to this greedy lot.
The Schembri couple must not be too busy with their jobs – if they have the time (not to mention the shrouded funds) to undertake this business, in which none of them have any expertise or experience.
Do they think that we’re that thick – or are they so brazenly confident that they will get away with it?
Yes
Malajr tghallem. Wiehed mill- hniezer li refer ghalihom – rosanna- fil- maqjel li refers ghalih anglu.
Isthu korrotti.
U thares lejn wiccu biss tinduna x inhu! U ssib min itih l vot!
Kulhadd jithanzer.
Sewwa qalet dik.
Dawn l istejjer nisimghu biehom f pajjizi bid dittatura. Possibli il Prim Bertu se jibqa jaghlaq ghajnejh ukoll ghal din il hnizrija.
Jien illni nieghed li kollox ser jehdulna u mhux fil boghod.
Diga hadulnA kollox! Gustizzja, artna, liberta kollox!
There is enough evidence for FIAU, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (Cap. 373 of the Laws of Malta) to investigate Jean Pierre Attard, Francoise Piccione and Roberta Albanese Dalli.
I dont think that its the FIAU’s tole to investigate as such but to receive potential suspicious transactions reports form Subject persons (e.g. banks). Investigation is the role of the police. The FIAU will only ‘investigate’ after receiving a Suspicious Report .
But someone must look into all these dealings .We were promised transparency and good governance – what a load of BS.
FIAU should NOT passively wait for STRs to fall into its lap – but should pick and follow up any information that is in the public domain.
Once FIAU’s preliminary investigation reconfirms the risk that money laundering may subsist, it should formally notify the Police to follow up the investigation from their end, and potentially prosecute.
Where FIAU is failing abysmally, is its passiveness when the Police fail to appropriately follow up and conclude an investigation, let alone prosecute.
The Police failing to do their duty diligently on money laundering cases, is infinitely far worse & malignant, than a financial institution and/or “Subject Person” missing a tick box!
Thank you for publiczing what we already were morally convinced of and it is not just him. All if them are involved.
Poplu qum mir-raqda!
An other scandal, by one of the U-Turn ministers.An other conflict of interest. The Schembri’s sell public lands. What is the PM going to do about it? Sit on it &let them get on with it? Thieves .
The fact is that the shares in the company form part of the community of acquests existing between Minister Schembri and his wife. That alone constitutes a direct interest in its business, No two ways about it, Minister Schembri cannot as Minister have a business interest in any aspect of his Ministry.
Unfortunately, these articles never reach or effect those who use their vote to keep on screwing the lives of the Maltese of good will, more needs to be done to bring labour down!
And the Gahans cannot see the utter corruption by the Lands Ministerand full backed by PM
Th.ore I see the more I think that Mark Camilleri is right. The Labour Party is a real estate mafia