Anton Refalo’s ‘mafia villa’ proxy paid €50 an hour

Documents obtained by The Shift through a Freedom of Information request have revealed the full details of an unusual consultancy contract awarded by Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo to the lawyer who acted as the intermediary for the controversial Qala villa linked to mafia boss Toto’ Riina.

The contract confirms that, in November 2022, Refalo’s ministry agreed to pay lawyer Alfred Grech €10,000 for just five hours of work a week, equivalent to €50 an hour, under a one-year consultancy agreement.

The contract, which has never previously been made public, shows that Grech was engaged to provide legal services to the Agricultural Bioresources Agency, an entity falling under Refalo’s political responsibility.

The contract ran for one year and, according to the documentation obtained by The Shift, does not appear to have been renewed upon its expiry.

Ministry sources described Grech’s engagement as highly unusual.

They pointed out that the ministry already employed its own legal advisers while also retaining external legal services whenever specialised expertise was required. They also questioned why a consultancy of this nature was limited to just five hours a week, describing the arrangement as out of the ordinary for legal advisory work.

It remains unclear whether Grech received any other contracts or direct orders from Refalo or entities under his responsibility.

So far, the only agreement identified by The Shift is the one-year consultancy obtained through the Freedom of Information process.

The contract adds another layer to the controversy surrounding Grech, whose relationship with Refalo first came under scrutiny when The Shift revealed, before the general election, that the minister had placed him on the government payroll.

Grech is the same lawyer publicly identified by Prime Minister Robert Abela as the intermediary acting on behalf of the mysterious “woman from Brescia”, who is claimed to own the Qala villa occupied by Refalo.

The villa became the subject of national controversy after Italian media linked its ownership history to the late Sicilian Mafia boss Totò Riina. While there is no evidence linking Refalo personally to Riina, serious questions remain over the circumstances in which the minister came to occupy the property and continued using it.

Refalo admitted leasing the villa through Grech in 2002.

He later acknowledged that the lease expired in 2018 but said he had remained in occupation without paying rent because neither the alleged owner nor Alfred Grech – the proxy – had requested payment.

The Shift also revealed that the property never featured in Refalo’s ministerial asset declarations, despite being used to house part of his multi-million-euro art collection.

Grech himself has a controversial background.

He was previously convicted in proceedings relating to the harassment of Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli, with Refalo acting as his defence lawyer during the case. He has also been convicted of drink driving and was formerly involved in business with Film Commissioner Johann Grech.

Despite the controversy generated by these revelations before the general election, Prime Minister Robert Abela retained Refalo in his Cabinet following Labour’s electoral victory, once again entrusting him with a ministerial portfolio