Anton Refalo’s ‘Riina hideout’ missing from assets declaration

A villa in Qala, recently linked by an Italian press investigation to the now deceased Sicilian Mafia boss Toto Riina, was not included in the latest asset declaration submitted by Minister Anton Refalo to Prime Minister Robert Abela.

The property, which featured prominently in reports this week alleging it had served for years as a hideout for Riina, does not appear among the extensive list of assets declared by Refalo.

The veteran Labour minister, widely regarded as a multi-millionaire and known for his interest in art and heritage, listed numerous properties across Malta and Gozo held jointly with his wife, Lina.

Despite having been in Refalo’s possession since 2002, years after Riina’s arrest, the Qala villa is absent from the declaration.

When asked to explain the omission, Refalo acknowledged the situation but insisted he holds no legal title to the property.

The Shift is informed that while the villa may not be in his name, he has rented it for 24 years and should have declared it.

They pointed to the example of fellow Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela, also Gozitan, who declared his rented residence in Sliema’s Tower Road despite not owning any property.

Questions have also been raised about Refalo’s response to the controversy.

When approached by journalists outside the Qala property, the minister gave a series of evasive and contradictory replies, claiming he was unaware of Riina and denying any knowledge of longstanding rumours linking the villa to the Mafia – claims that have been widely known for decades in Gozo.

Sources familiar with the property said Refalo has never lived in the villa, instead using it exclusively to store his extensive art collection.

“The house is filled with very expensive works of art that Refalo continues to trade,” one source who has been regularly inside the villa said.

“There must be hundreds of high-value pieces inside. For a period, it was also used to meet constituents,” he said.

Records show that in 2009, shortly after Refalo began renting the villa from an Italian owner from Brescia, his wife, Lina, obtained a permit to carry out internal structural changes. No further modifications have been recorded since.

During filming for the Italian documentary, Refalo was seen arriving at the property in a truck carrying a newly acquired artwork.

At 69, Refalo is the oldest member of Abela’s Cabinet and has long been associated with property and art collections.

In 2023, The Shift revealed how a protected Victorian-era stone marker had ended up in one of his properties. Refalo was never charged, refused to resign, and the artefact was eventually returned to Heritage Malta.