Parliament shelves Freeport land deal with tuna ranchers tied to ongoing criminal charges

Parliament postponed a decision on a resolution to transfer public industrial land, including part of the sea at the Malta Freeport, to tuna ranchers Malta Fish Farming Ltd (MFF), a company currently subject to a court-ordered asset freeze.

The resolution was placed on the agenda of the National Audit Office Accounts Committee for discussion and approval on Tuesday, but was unexpectedly removed at the last minute. None of the committee members mentioned the missing item on the agenda.

The resolution had been proposed by Economy Minister Silvio Schembri in his capacity as minister responsible for the Freeport. Schembri was not present for the sitting.

Sources revealed that the government had negotiated and reached a lucrative agreement with MFF despite the company being embroiled in legal proceedings. One of its directors is currently facing criminal charges, including money laundering.

The Shift is informed that the deal, which requires parliamentary approval to be sealed, would grant MFF a 40-year temporary emphyteusis over public land. This would give the company rights over approximately 3,800 square metres at the Freeport, including permission to reclaim approximately 1,400 square metres of the sea to construct a new quay to serve its tuna ranching operations.

Negotiations on the concession proceeded despite the company’s assets being subject to a court-issued freezing order last year.

In return for the proposed public concession, MFF pledged to invest approximately €30 million in new processing and storage infrastructure. Not all of this investment would be located at the Freeport site and includes expanded facilities and cold storage for bait used in tuna ranching operations.

MFF agreed to pay ground rent of €46 per square metre, subject to adjustments linked to the cost-of-living index. The company also committed to investing about €13 million at the Freeport site, including the construction of the new quay through the proposed land reclamation works, according to documents seen by The Shift.

Questions sent to MFF went unanswered.

Although MFF itself has not faced charges in court, its director, Giovanni Ellul, the son of principal shareholder Salvu Ellul, was arraigned in court last year in connection with an alleged international illegal tuna export scheme.

Ellul, who pleaded not guilty, faces charges of money laundering, participation in a criminal organisation, falsification of documents and making false declarations to authorities.

The criminal proceedings also involve former fisheries director general Andreina Fenech Farrugia, who has been charged with bribery, trading in influence, money laundering and the disclosure of confidential information.

Following the arraignment, the court issued freezing orders covering assets linked to the case, including those connected to MFF, and appointed a court administrator to oversee the company’s operations while proceedings continue.

MFF is owned by tuna ranching operator Salvu Ellul, known in the industry as ‘Elbros’. He has long been involved in Malta’s tuna farming sector and is associated with one of the country’s established aquaculture operations supplying international markets.

Although Salvu Ellul himself has not been charged in the ongoing criminal case, his company has been drawn into the proceedings through its director, his son Giovanni, and the court-ordered freezing of assets linked to the investigation.

Malta’s bluefin tuna ranching industry remains one of the country’s most lucrative export sectors, supplying markets in Asia and Europe. The trade operates under strict international quotas and monitoring systems due to the high commercial value of bluefin tuna and longstanding concerns over illegal fishing and export practices.