Government hides €1 million spent for controversial land expropriation in Gozo

The Lands Authority has refused a freedom of information request seeking details on €1 million in public funds paid out for land expropriation in Gozo — despite Gozo and Planning Minister Clint Camilleri referring The Shift to the agency for information he claimed he did not have.

The Shift filed a Freedom of Information request with the Lands Authority to uncover who benefited from the expropriation of 1,300 square metres of land in Victoria – for a path that leads to a dead end.

The Authority, overseen by Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, rejected the request, claiming the information was “a trade secret.”

The same Authority also denied a separate request for a copy of the valuation report submitted by three architects. The Shift is informed that the report concluded that the land acquired was valued at €1 million.

The Shift reported in February that the expropriation seemed designed to benefit Gozitan developer Francesco Grima, known as il-Ġigu. He has already built several apartment blocks along the road leading to the newly expropriated land. He also has several other applications before the Planning Authority.

Following questions, the minister directed The Shift to seek answers from the Lands Authority. However, the Authority refused to disclose who received the payments, asserting that such information was confidential.

“These are private documents related to individuals and are considered protected,” the Lands Authority said. “The document is exempt from Freedom of Information (FOI) regulations if it qualifies as a trade secret.”

The Gozo Minister has insisted the land was acquired as part of a broader traffic management strategy for Victoria, Gozo’s capital. Yet the land in question leads to a dead end blocked by the Gozo Hospital’s mortuary. But it happens to be adjacent to several apartment blocks owned by Grima.

Grima currently has multiple planning applications before the Planning Authority, which is overseen by Camilleri’s ministry.

In 2023, Camilleri’s ministry launched a €500,000 infrastructure project to rebuild Triq Guzeppi Schembri, the road leading to the expropriated land. The project included the installation of new drainage, electricity and water systems — all adjacent to Grima’s apartment blocks.

When asked for a list of the beneficiaries of the €1 million payout, Camilleri said he did not know who received the funds and that his ministry was not involved in the selection process. He stated that the ministry’s role was limited to requesting the expropriation of a schemed road, not administering the compensation.

The Shift has filed an appeal with the Information and Data Protection Commissioner following the Lands Authority’s refusal to disclose the information requested.