Portelli clan blocks Sannat public passageway next to illegal pools

Sannat residents are up in arms over the latest development concerning an irregular block of apartments and ODZ pools in the locality’s outskirts, as a public passageway leading to the cliffs has been blocked illegally.

Residents told The Shift that rogue developer Joseph Portelli and his clan have now taken the law into their own hands, undeterred. They placed wooden pellets at the entrance of the public passageway, blocking residents from using it in their daily walks to reach the cliffs.

The passageway, in place for over 50 years, which separates the blocks of apartments declared illegal by the Court, and two large ODZ pools, also built illegally, are situated on public land.

“Last week, someone closed access to the public passageway, placing wooden pellets along its entrance, blocking off the public land. Reports were filed with the police, but so far no one has come to remove them,” a resident told The Shift.

The Portelli clan, including Mark Agius, known as Ta’ Dirjanu, and Daniel Refalo, has sought to prevent the public from using the passageway for at least two years.

In 2024, they filed an application, PC00022/24, proposing to block the public passageway. Their thinking is that once this public land is declared private open space, they can proceed with a separate application, PA00226/25, to sanction two large illegal pools on ODZ land.

So far, the PA has not yet considered these applications and has not even issued its recommendation.

Still, to reach their intentions, in complete defiance of the law, the entrance to the passageway has now been blocked.

Tens of objections have been filed with the Planning Authority on the application to block the passageway. However, so far, the Planning Authority is still toying with the idea of accepting the abusive demands.

Portelli and his clan are known for their illegalities and impunity during the past years all over the Maltese islands, with the full backing of the authorities.

Before the last elections, Portelli and his developer friends organised a dinner for Prime Minister Robert Abela at Ta’ Frenc restaurant, during which thousands of euro were donated to the Labour Party for the electoral campaign.

Among their many illegalities, the clan also operates an unlicensed concrete batching plant in Kerċem on public land for years without a permit.

The government uses and pays tens of thousands for supplies of concrete from the illegal plant, which is also used in public projects contracted to Portelli and his associates by the government. Electricity has also been supplied to the illicit plant.