Ministry denies Portelli’s illegal batching plant supplies concrete to project despite evidence

Tons of illegally produced concrete from an unpermitted batching plant in Kerċem, Gozo, are being poured into the rebuilding of a major road between Victoria and Marsalforn, in violation of the conditions imposed in a €9 million public tender.

A picture of the ongoing works on the road-rebuilding project, posted online by the Gozo Ministry, the project’s owner, shows concrete-ready-mix trucks belonging to Prax Ltd.

The illegal batching plant, located on public land since 2019 and supplying concrete for the project, is owned by Joseph Portelli and his associates, Mark Agius, known as Ta’ Dirjanu, and Daniel Refalo.  The plant has been allowed to continue operations despite widespread media coverage of its illegalities.

When asked by The Shift to justify the use of concrete from an illegal plant, Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri denied this was happening, despite photographic evidence posted on his own social media page.

The Ministry’s spokesman told The Shift that “upon verifications, the Contracting Authority (Gozo Ministry) is informed that the concrete is being supplied from one of the partners in the joint venture, which partner/source has a legal concrete batching plant.”

Placing the onus squarely on the project manager, contracted by the same Ministry, the spokesman insisted that the Ministry had complete confidence in the public officers and the dedicated project management team to ensure that all contractual obligations were monitored, adhered to, and respected throughout the project’s lifecycle.

Investigations by The Shift established that the other member of the joint venture is Gatt Tarmac Ltd – another Gozitan company which owns a licensed concrete and tarmac plant.

However, it has also been established that Prax is loading its trucks at its illegal plant in Kercem rather than at Gatt Tarmac, as the Ministry claimed.

Sources familiar with the ongoing works, already many months behind schedule, confirmed to The Shift that Prax was supplying concrete from its illegal plant in Kerċem and that the Gozo Ministry was fully aware of this.

They insisted that since work has started to also be carried out during the night, Prax trucks are passing fully loaded from Kerċem village’s core on their way to the Marsalforn road rebuilding project.

Additionally, The Shift confirmed that the Gatt Tarmac plant in Għajnsielem is closed at night, further confirming that the concrete being used is sourced from Portelli’s illegal plant.

Portelli and his associates are known to be close to the governing Labour Party and to have breached laws with impunity.

This is not the first time that a Gozo Ministry project has been supplied with illegal concrete from Portelli. The same happened over the past years during the construction of a swimming pool complex in Victoria, inaugurated by Prime Minister Robert Abela a few weeks ago.