A private business venture set up by Ronald Mizzi, the former permanent secretary and right-hand man of disgraced minister Konrad Mizzi, is running at full throttle – with all the rooms at the Gozitan ‘relaxation getaway’ being booked for over €200 a night for the Santa Marija break.
Opened two years ago when Mizzi was still the Tourism Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ta’ Cnic Heritage Living in Zebbug is described by accommodation booking search engines as a luxurious spa tourism accommodation with breathtaking views of Gozo.
The host, who is also publicly advertised on the same search engines, is none other than the permanent secretary, now at the lands and economy ministry, who describes himself as “a 40-year-old Maltese graduate in International Relations and European Affairs with vast experience in public administration and tourism sector”.
Sources at the Tourism Ministry told The Shift that since Mizzi acquired the almost dilapidated vernacular building in Zebbug 2019, he has invested a lot of time and money coordinating contractors and suppliers to refurbish the property and turn it into a business venture.
Government officials speaking with The Shift raised concern over possible conflicts of interest and questioned the business venture’s source of funds given a permanent secretary’s income of under €50,000 a year.
According to real estate agents consulted by The Shift, the investment in the building’s restoration and finishing would have easily surpassed the €1 million mark.
Asked to comment on the investment, Mizzi, who is now permanent secretary at the Economy and Lands Ministry with Minister Silvio Schembri, downplayed the investment and described the Gozitan retreat as his “residence”.
While not divulging what was spent on the residence’s refurbishment and conversion into luxury spa tourism accommodation, he strongly denied anything improper.
“This is simply my home where I reside. I bought it by public deed, which anyone can obtain, and paid for most of it with a bank loan. I can assure you that everything was done legally and transparently,” Mizzi insisted when contacted.
“Sometimes, I let out the sub-basement of the house (1 bedroom) and a rooftop room (1 bedroom) through online booking platforms. I do not regard this as a side business but, in any case, the property has the necessary PA permits, and the lettings are licenced by the MTA. All permit applications followed the proper procedures.”
Research conducted by The Shift shows that the property, which also has a grotto, was purchased by Ronald Mizzi and senior Bank of Valletta employee Fiona Brinkworth in November 2019, just a few weeks before Minister Konrad Mizzi was forced out of cabinet over corruption allegations.
According to the deed published by notary Malcolm Mangion – the son of former Air Malta chairman Charles Mangion – the property was acquired for €520,000, with €468,000 of it having been paid through a Bank of Valletta loan taken out by Mizzi and Brinkworth.
The property was completely stripped and redone to a high standard, worth hundreds of thousands of euros, and it opened its doors for business in May 2021.
According to booking.com, a two-night stay at the permanent secretary’s Gozitan abode will set you back €688 in the rooftop ‘large suite with spa’ or €443 in the ‘maisonette’.
While Mizzi gave the impression that he only “sometimes” rents out two bedrooms of his residence, the online platform shows the business venture is almost always booked back-to-back, particularly in the summer months.
Asked to confirm whether he is allowed, as a permanent secretary, to have a business on the side and in the sector for which he was responsible, Mizzi did not reply.
Neither did he say whether he has informed Principal Permanent Secretary Tony Sultana about his private business interests, which he should be precluded from conducting.
The property was bought from a Gozitan family and Mizzi’s name does not feature on the permits. The only names that show are those of Simon Grech – a Gozitan property developer and contractor and recipient of numerous government direct orders in recent years – and one of the vendors.
Who is Ronald Mizzi?
Ronald Mizzi, originally from Zabbar, was headhunted by disgraced former minister Konrad Mizzi in 2014 at the age of 32 for the post of the ministry’s permanent secretary.
He was one of the most heavily involved senior civil servants in the Muscat-Mizzi-Schembri triumvirate’s shady deals including the multimillion-euro concession for three the running of state hospitals for Vitals Global Healthcare, the sale of the ITS site and the ElectroGas power station.
Ronald Mizzi is one of the main enablers in the shady deals involving the disgraced Muscat administration and has been also highlighted for his roles in various National Audit Office investigations.
After Konrad Mizzi’s forced resignation in 2019 and a change in Labour’s leadership, Prime Minister Robert Abela re-confirmed Ronald Mizzi as Permanent Secretary at the Tourism Ministry, where Clayton Bartolo was made politically responsible.
He was transferred after the 2022 elections to the post of Permanent Secretary at the Economy and Lands Ministry with Silvio Schembri.
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A strict and professional investigation is called for.
How the loan is being financed;
How the improvements and refurbishment have been financed;
If this “investment” in any shape or form goes against his position within the Civil Service.
Miracles are hard to come by, although not impossible in Malta.
How else does the smallish player clean his “undeclared” income when he wishes to keep his money in the country and doesn’t want to answer questions of snoopy Anti Money Laundering Officers? Renovate an old property to the max, pay everyone in cash (obviously without VAT – suits most service providers in Malta it seems…). Sell it or commercialize it. Easy peasy! But I guess, as Perm Sec and crony banks don’t ask too many questions when you arrive with a duffle bag full of cash, anyway…
All of a sudden they’re all into the money business! We need unexplained wealth laws. I bet most of them don’t have proof where it all came from! That’s why they can’t afford a change in the running of the country!
This Ronald MIZZI should be investigated.
He was part on the plan when Airmalta plc had to set up Airmalta Aviation Services Ltd.
Il-Gennata u t-Tradiment ta’ Konrad MIZZI
Millions were involved but nothing materialized not even the employees business transfers which were agreed upon when the last collective agreement was signed.
Directors were appointed though earning thousands from public funds.
Is by this article altogether unnecessary when the FCUD, FIAU, PSC and all other relevant institutions will already have thoroughly interrogated and investigated d source of wealth. And then FIAU will surely have been happy with all the rubber stamps and utility bills.
I honestly don?t know what Prime Minister Abela and Head of Civil Service Tony Sultana are waiting for to take action. They have a number of reports drawn up by the Auditor General stating clearly that Ronald Mizzi has acted inappropriately and bad advised (sic) Government on a number of issues. Now this story. This story requires a tax investigation to establish how, on a ?50k salary, you achieve all this. Mizzi has other properties no? How can this be achieved?? Let us not forget that Ronald Mizzi is the senior public officer, who oversaw all the corrupt deals signed on his watch.
Ronald Mizzi has been a key decision-maker in the country?s biggest scandals – the Electrogas dea, the ITS-Db land transfer and the concession of the three hospitals.
Abela, Sultana, Gafa? and the Commissioner of Inland Revenue, wake up from your deep sleep.
Your pen name is Colonel Gaddafi. Colonel Gaddafi and his notorious children siphoning off the country?s wealth, Mutassin in particular, were definitely not asked too many questions on the provenance of the funds by Bank of Valletta notwithstanding stacks of $100 bills for deposit. Ministry of Finance officials would ensure that no obstrusive questions were asked at the airport; rather lay the red carpet. And to be fair: that was during the Nationalist administrations.
Well banks seem to ask many questions to us though not to the big heads . They give thousands to a lawyer who worked in the bank because he is an MP Though they are stingy when an employee suffers an injury at work Where did the insurance money end up ??
My conviction is that all the personages mentioned in all these deeds are core corrupt. It will remain my conviction whatever they, their administrations or any court says.
L iblah Ghawdxi li jmur ibigh propjeta lil Malti! Gzira giet mizbla! L Ghawdxi fil-minoranza! U addio l karattru tal-GzirA, hlief hmieg, storbju, karrozzi m hemmx!
They’re all in it. Mafiamalta embraces all KINDS OF corruption.