The Housing Authority is relocating Maltese families to live permanently in Gozo, filling dozens of private apartments, owned by developer Joseph Portelli and his associates, which are rented to the government.
According to financial documents reviewed by The Shift, Excel Housing Ltd rented out five different blocks of apartments to the Housing Authority in 2024. Four of them are in Gozo, and the other is in Gzira.
The agreements are for a 10-year lease, with the government paying between €3,250 and €9,417 per year per apartment.
This means that over the next 10 years, Portelli will be paid millions from government coffers for more than 100 apartments being used for social housing.
Excel Housing Ltd was only set up last year and is owned by Portelli, Mark Agius, known as Ta’ Dirjanu, and Daniel Refalo. The government, through the Housing Authority, rented more than 100 apartments to use as social housing.
Most of the apartments rented under the Government Housing Scheme are in Gozo, where demand for social housing has traditionally been very low.
Since there was no real demand for social housing from residents in Gozo, and the government suddenly found itself with a stock of unutilised housing on the sister island. So Maltese families on the social housing accommodation waiting list were allocated one of Portelli’s flats in Gozo and asked to move there permanently.
Asked in Parliament by PN Housing spokesperson Ivan Bartolo to state how many Maltese families have been allocated apartments in Gozo, Minister Roderick Galdes revealed that this applied to 85 families.
Galdes said that out of the flats that the government was renting from the private sector in Gozo, only 28 were given to Gozitan families.
This situation has become a recurring source of complaints, with Maltese couples denouncing the Minister’s actions to displace their families.
Sources explained that those Maltese families who accepted the offer had no real choice, as they realised that it was better for them to get a flat than to move back to the end of the long waiting list and restart the process from scratch.
Portelli’s agreement with the government includes approximately 80 apartments and 80 garages in Sannat, San Lawrenz, Xaghra, and Rabat, in Gozo, as well as another 32 apartments and 32 garages in Gzira.
Joseph Portelli is known for his close connections and hefty donations to the Labour Party.
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Gvern korrottin rasu sa saqajh.
Gvern Korrot min rasu sa saqajh
Shifting Voters to Gozo to mess around with who gets elected.
Possibly replicating voters instead those who do not vote? Just thinking?
Tal-misthija!! Morru araw kif gabuha Gzira! Hmieg,storbju w serq biex dawn l hmieg zviluppaturi li ghandhom il-politici business maghhom ikomplu jirrenjaw! X mafia ta’ gvern! Jaqq!
Hmmmm. I wonder if the ones being relocated to Gozo are PL supporters (to help increase the PL vote there), or PN supporters who are being ‘punished’.
I HATE being reduced to thinking in this way!
It’s obvious that PL supporters to increase votes in Gozo
Nothing wakes up the PEOPLE from their deep slumber, and the steam roller keep rolls on, unchecked
Where were you yesterday morning (4th Oct)? If you had been in valletta protesting, you wouldn’t say that nothing wakes up the people. I was deeply encouraged by the number of young families and young people in general.
True! But this is happening because we are letting them continue with this filth to the detriment of our country and our quality of life.
Only because many Maltese are corrupt and criminal to the core just like the politicians they elect.
The problem re corruption and criminality in Malta apparently is bottom to top not top to bottom.
Isn’t social housing paid for by being on housing benefits? Effectively, the tax payers is funding his lifestyle, I hope the tax department are aware of his extra income.
Exactly so! The appartments he is not selling the government gives him money from our taxes with the excuse of affordable accomodation! Mafia!!! When he was bankrupt selling everything he owned the government intervened and with our taxes he flourished again! And look how he is paying us back! These mafia are all in business together.
This is only because the regime is petrified of the new PN leader-Dr Alex Borg who was highly successful in winning the Gozo district in the MEPs & Local Councils elections.