Transport Malta is keeping tight-lipped about why it will be spending hundreds of thousands of euros to build a restaurant that has already been earmarked for the private operators of the Ta’ Xbiex yacht marina.
The restaurant will form part of Transport Malta’s controversial 600 square metre Capitanerie development that was recently granted a Planning Authority development permit despite a petition and hundreds of objections against it.
The Shift is reliably informed that the project, located on the Ta’ Xbiex water’s edge adjacent to the town’s only garden, is to be run by the operators of the Gardens Yacht Marina in Ta’ Xbiex – Gardens Marina Ltd.
More than a third of the shares in Gardens Marina Ltd are owned by Gauci Estates Limited, which is, in turn, owned by the Birkirkara-based Gauci siblings Paul and Mark, better known as Tal-Gedida.
The brothers administer their family’s property development and business empire, which includes importing luxury vehicles and running gyms across the country. They are also frequently seen dining and yachting in the company of Prime Minister Robert Abela and his wife Lydia, particularly in Ragusa.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia is not answering questions about why Transport Malta’s entire Capitanerie project is funded by the public, not by the operators of the privatised Ta’ Xbiex marina.
In addition to office space for Transport Malta, the project includes bars and a restaurant with a large outdoor dining area at the water’s edge.
Neither did Farrugia explain if the Transport Malta investment formed part of the 25-year concession awarded to Gardens Marina Ltd in 2018.
Similar questions sent to newly-appointed Transport Malta CEO Jonathan Borg were also met with silence.
Sources at Transport Malta have suggested that the Capitanerie project was merely a front for the Gaucis’ restaurant to accompany the marina and add value to the concession.
“If you look at the approved plans, you will see that the offices are only there to justify the restaurant, which is the larger part of the development,” one source familiar with the project told The Shift.
According to those same sources, the Gauci brothers have had their eye on such a development for years. The Prime Minister and the Planning Authority have ignored hundreds of objections and a petition against the project.
Paul and Mark Gauci.
Gardens Marina Ltd is also owned by F.L. Yachting Ltd and Intermanagement Ltd. Matthew Fiorini Lowell and Patrick Satariano comprise the company’s board along with the Gauci brothers.
The company’s secretary was, until recently, none other than Justice Minister Jonathan Attard.
The Gauci brothers were once known in Birkirkara as staunch Nationalist Party supporters, but after the 2013 change of government, they began canvassing for former minister Chris Cardona. Jonathan Attard used to be Cardona’s aide.
During Cardona’s time as economy minister, a car showroom in Birkirkara owned by the Gaucis was converted into offices and leased out to INDIS Malta, for which Cardona was responsible.
The Ta’ Xbiex yacht marina was privatised through a Transport Malta tender in 2018. Gardens Marina Ltd is paying an annual concession fee of around €220,000 for the 25-year concession.
Hawn bizzejjed hniezer, mil-prim ministru l-isfel, biex taghmel hafna majjalati ghan-nies foqra u bil-guh li hawn Malta.
Mela issa harget ir-raguni ghaliex TM “dahlet” fl-attivita tar-restaurants!
Capcap gahan, u ghid tlett darbiet “prosit prim”.
Paul Gauci is the same person who illegally demolished parts of Villa St Ignatius in St Julian’s with impunity. Planning Authority refuse to prosecute him and now he has applied to convert the villa into a hotel with additions [!] notwithstanding the area is residential. Johann Buttigieg then CEO of the PA confirmed on oath that the demolition was made under the guise of an expired permit but refused to stop him.He always seemed to be a well protected person and can regularly be seen flashing his high powered cars in the Balluta area.
BOJKOTT dak li jista jaghmel il poplu birx jipprotesta.
The plot was so obvious from the very beginning!!
why would Transport Malta go out their remit to build a restaurant?
why take up 600 square metres of valuable green lungs in Gzira??
to appease PIGS who just happen to be friends of the lejber party and Robert Abela in particular!!
Are we at all surprised…….? The country has been totally taken over by these slum bags! It is time to stand up and react Agathis rampant greed and abuse…….!
Too late. They control everything.
The Ta’ Xbiex mayor should do like the Gzira Mayor, Borg Manche, and go to the court to stop this illegal & abusive development in a Public Garden to the detriment of the Ta’ Xbiex residents & the public in general.
Members of the public are doing that, supported by Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA).
Hemm bzon li l poplu iqum u ma jhallix dawn is sangisugi jkomplu jisirqu l poplu Malti. Kuljum tisma xi haga gdida ta haxi,tbazwir u korruzjoni u qisu ma qed jigri xejn,possibli l poplu tilef is sinsla tieghu. Jekk hadd ma hu ser jicaqlaq Malta se johduhilna u x jiswew il flus li tkun gemmajt,ja poplu. Ser tispica barrani go pajjizek.
Fejnhom in nazzjonalisti u il laburisti ta veru. Dawn zgur ma jaghmlux dawn il hnizrijiet
Come to my home town I already feel this as there are more foreigner then ever before They park where they want with motor bikes between the cars and dent our cars near to them. they throw rubbish at any time of the day. They put loud music late at night and in the morning they can be heard clearing their noise and troth in a ghastly sounding manner that makes one sick.. They do not observe any rules at all. Do not get me wrong not all of them act in this manner but the ones we have around our area do Most of the Maltese are not safe or in peace in their own house and this is not fair at all . Our Gov has failed to keep the island clean ,safe and with no problems on the contrary every thing has ended in a mess and complicated as never before… We cannot keep going on like this as our country is being ruined through crime, fraud arrogance and incompetence whilst it is overpopulated too . Vote them out and let us try to build back our country into a dignified state .
Din Malta li taghtni isimma ma ghadix tingharaf. Veru li l izvilup irid issir u l economija trid tikber izda issa qazzizna lil kulhadd. Jien mhux qed nara futur ghax il poplu qed narah li sar jacetta kollox.
Iz zaghzah u il middle age qishom ghalihom kollox jaghdi u tinsiex li dawn il generazjoni ta ghada. Ahna ta over 50 qed inhosu li il pajjiz sejjer lura.
Jekk mhux ser issir xi haga urgenti u nbidlu din ir rotta malajr dehlin go sqaq li il bambin biss jaf il kunsegwenzi
So the PM’s friends can get whatever they want (for votes),the normal people can’t do ,or decide what to do with their property. That is called corruption P M.anymore Robert.
Daw in-nies qatt ma jixbaw jiffangaw , li kieku jistaw anki l-bahar jiehdu u l-awtoritajiet ikomplu jbellawlom ha jiffangaw maghhom, li jiskantani kif il poplu ma jitghallem qatt u jibqa jmur icapcap u jxejjer il bnadar meta jaf li min jitla hemm fuq jitla biex jiffanga ma nies bhal dawn u liz-zghir ituh ic-cejca u gahan il poplu jifrah.
Funny how a crane made it into the ‘artist’s impression’
Hemm huma l-hbieb tal-hbieb lo kienu jghajju lin-Nazzjonalisti bihom
Are you sure that these brothers are friends of Robert Abela? Could it be that one of the brothers is a very good friend of Lydia instead? Food for thought. I am very curious to know!
Peacful protests won’t cut it, we need to up the ante!
And scandals continue to pile up.
Well how can the SaMiZu ZMT Tabona/Travers Trauss clan get a marina and a restuarant and the Gauci’s don’t? Thats not how elections are won.