Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo and his wife have started welcoming guests at their hotel in Qala, built on ODZ land without permits and then sanctioned later and funded with money from the EU.

l-Eremita (The Hermit) and run by l-Eremita Co. Ltd – a company wholly owned by the minister’s wife, Michelina – the hotel features 11 “stylish and charming rooms”, two swimming pools and sprawling grounds with unobstructed views of the surrounding countryside, according to its posts on social media.

According to their original application, The Refalos obtained €270,000 of EU funds to develop the property on the premise the boutique hotel would offer “yoga meditation and specialised culinary services”, but the hotel does not appear to be offering these services.

One of the luxury bedrooms at the new hotel

Anton and Michelina Refalo bought the property in the 1990s when it was just a dilapidated agricultural store surrounded by fields. The current property, with a much larger footprint, was developed over the years without any planning permission or permits.

However, through the pro-developer policies administered by the Planning Authority, Refalo managed to have all his illegalities sanctioned through various appeal processes that overturned enforcement orders and objections. This was necessary as to apply for the more than a quarter of a million euro grant from the EU, the property required a hotel permit.

However, the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) strongly opposed the application stating that “the approval of this proposal would further consolidate uses which are not characteristic of rural areas.”

The Refalo’s 80% EU-funded ‘yoga-meditation’ hotel outside Qala, Gozo, while under construction

The ERA’s objections were ignored, and the Planning Authority issued the permit.

Refalo became the first incumbent cabinet minister to own and run a hotel in Malta, joined recently by Prime Minister Robert Abela.

Refalo, a known collector of historical artefacts, has also adorned his hotel’s outside spaces with art and statues

Abela has obtained a permit to turn his Xewkija farmhouse into a large hotel with extensive grounds and various services, including a spa.

The prime minister and his wife Lydia recently acquired an adjacent 1,500 square metres of new agricultural land to expand the footprint of the original site.

However, the prime minister failed to declare his new acquisitions in his obligatory annual declaration of assets and did not provide information which funds he used to pay for the €180,000 plot.

Following a request by independent MEP candidate Arnold Cassola, the Standards Commissioner is now investigating the prime minister’s possible breach of ethics.