The Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), both government entities responsible for enforcing rules in the construction sector, have failed to act on reports of several illegalities during the refurbishment of a villa in Marsaxlokk belonging to the police commissioner.
A video sent to The Shift and also posted on independent candidate Arnold Cassola’s web page shows a construction worker without a harness on a makeshift scaffolding working on the villa’s wall, leaving a cloud of dust.
Safeguard rules were broken, as the scaffolding was not covered by a mesh and no vacuum was used to contain emissions, as required by law.
Although the same happens on different construction sites around the country, neighbours were angry that it could even happen at the home of the couple whose job is to enforce the law.
Neighbours told The Shift that they had called the police to take action. “As we anticipated, no one turned up to check Commissioner Gafa’s villa,” one angry neighbour said.
Despite reminders, questions sent to Commissioner Gafa to explain what happened and how he permitted the breach of law inside his home were not answered.
The incident occurred on a new road in Triq l-Għoljiet ta’ Guno, in the Tas-Silġ area in Marsaxlokk.
Gafa’ and his wife Sylvana, also in the police force, bought the massive villa in 2022, a few months after Prime Minister Robert Abela appointed him to lead the police force.
At the time, The Shift had raised concerns over how the Gafas would finance the villa they purchased for €885,000 through a bank loan when the police commissioner and his wife earned €6,000 monthly and had to pay more than half in bank loan repayments.
Then, the financial situation of the Gafas has improved.
A few weeks ago, The Shift revealed how Commissioner Gafa’s financial package has doubled in two years.
Following his contract renewal, without the Opposition’s consensus and objections by rule-of-law NGOs, Gafa’ was put on a €107,000-a-year financial package, with more than half of it in allowances.
To improve his family’s financial situation, Gafa’ also promoted his wife, Sylvana, to superintendent, giving her an additional financial package of €71,611.
If the government approved all their allowances, the Gafas would be earning €179,000 a year.
U jien fraht ghax hadd E8 zieda.
Commissioner and Mrs Gafa are certainly experiencing ‘L-aqwa żmien’! Kudos to The Shift for highlighting that which very few others dare report on.
That video is ample evidence on how to ruin your Maltese house! The guy is clueless in everything he does.
Exactly my thought!
The laws, the judiciary, the whole of democracy is now in the hands of a few business bosses who have bought the rule of law with brown envelopes.
As many have long suspected, ROBBER Abella and his fake commissioner are obviously on their payroll. There is no other explanation for this nonsense, which is now appearing in the press so many times.
It is high time to put these crooks in their place and there is no space in a democracy for them.
Kif ighid sehibna Evarist Bartolo hemm ligi ghall-Allat u ligi ghall-annimali
And to earn that money it seems he had to promise not to work too hard.
Gafa the quintessential wolf in sheep’s clothing!
Is the salary increase by the Commissioner to his wife fraudulent?
Isn’t this the same as the salary given to Amanda Muscat by her Minister husband and his Minister friend? Isn’t this even worse considering that this fraud was done by the same person who is paid to stop fraud from taking place in this country?
Is-salarju ta kummissarju kienet ta 40,000 euro. Ovja li din hija xi haga hazina!! X ma joqghodtx sieket Gafa! Ara mal pulizija shabu hemmhekk le issallabhom!
OHSA can identify other non conforming breaches in that scaffolding: if only they make a site visit.
Sanding down weathered Maltese stone is the pinnacle of stupidity, ask any architect.That reddish pink hue is an attraction in itself but more than that it hardens the outer layer and prevents it from crumbling in the long run.
Mela dawn ghaddejien xalata bil pagi stratosferici taghhom u ahna il popplin irridu nikkuntentaw ruhna b mizerja ta 5 eoros. Li btw jiehu it taxxa minna wkoll. Justice at its best
Kif tghid sehbitna Rosey…”kulhadd jithanzer!”
“Commissioner Gafa’s financial package has doubled in two years.” Not bad is it? Explains a lot about his conduct.