After two days of anticipation, MLP leader Alfred Sant finally unleashed his much-awaited attack on Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, when he revealed that the Nationalist MP is the owner of land in Mistra, for which a permit has been awarded to develop an open-air nightclub despite the fact that it is in an ODZ area and a Natura 2000 site.
Despite Pullicino Orlando’s last-ditch efforts to defuse the controversy with an article in yesterday’s edition of The Times, the revelation is embarrassing for a Nationalist MP who has projected himself as the champion of the environment, and was awarded the Green Politician of the Year.
In 1998, Pullicino Orlando obtained a permit to restore a room on the land with the condition that he would only use that room to store agricultural tools. In July of the same year, Pullicino Orlando declared that he was a part-time farmer and applied for a permit to construct a reservoir. In February 1999, MEPA turned down this application.
During the same month, Pullicino Orlando re-applied for a permit to construct a reservoir on this land. In June 1999, MEPA refused the permit again.
In October 2005, a third party applied for a permit, this time to build a nightclub on 2,000 square metres with a capacity of 4,000 people on the site. “Who applied for the party made it clear that his land was not his, and he was acting on behalf of a third party,” Sant said.
In March 2006, the MEPA Planning Directorate recommended to the DCC a refusal of this planning application for the following reasons: the land in question is ODZ; it is a site earmarked as a Natura 2000 by the EU; there is organic agriculture in the vicinity; and there was already illegal development on the site, including the installation of an air-conditioner.
However, in November 2007, DCC A – the same board which resigned last Wednesday, after the release of an indicting MEPA internal audit officer report on an illegal development permit to Charles Polidano – issued the permit following a positive recommendation by the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA).
In December 2007, an application was filed with MEPA for an extension of the proposed nightclub from 2,000 square metres to 4,000 square metres, extending to the shore and hosting 8,000 persons.
The club, which will be known by the name of “Spin Open Air Club”, is already being advertised online.
“This is a scandal. This is an obscenity. This is utter corruption,” the Labour leader charged. “What is more scandalous is that this site is the property of Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando.”
The owner of the land is De Rohan Antiques Limited, which in 2001 became wholly owned by Pullicino Orlando.
The Labour leader distributed to journalists a voluminous dossier with all the details about the ownership of the land in question, the MEPA documents related to the site and the publicity material for the open-air nightclub.
“I think that Gonzi knows about this case. What is he going to do about it?” he asked.
The Labour leader said that the architect in charge of the project is Paul Camilleri the Prime Minister’s cousin, who was also responsible for Skanska’s plans for the Mater Dei Hospital and the plans for SmartCity (Malta).
The Labour leader said that this heavily dented Pullicino Orlando’s crendentials as a champion of the environment. “He is being marked as one of the second generation of the PN’s future ministers when in reality he is one of the same system of ‘I’ll scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’.”
“That area in question cannot even be used for agricultural use, let alone using it to make a nightclub twice as big as Gianpula!” he insisted.
Asked by MaltaToday whether he thought that money had passed hands in connection with this project, the Labour leader said: “I have no doubt whatsoever. If permits have been denied for all these years and there is no reason why this permit should be issued – a Gianpula down there – somebody is taking something, no?” he said.
Pullicino Orlando had been shadowing Sant’s media events ever since on Wednesday evening, speaking at Zejtun, the Labour leader asked: “Does Gonzi know about people close to him who are involved in cases of corruption in MEPA or not?”
Labour’s press conference yesterday was announced suddenly at 12.15 pm for 1.00 pm – three-quarters of an hour later.
As soon as Sant and the Labour leadership arrived from Gozo, where he earlier addressed a public gathering, journalists were taken in mini-vans from Mistra Bay to the midst of the surrounding fields, from where the Labour leader addressed the press pack.
Pullicino Orlando, who had been following Sant in Gozo, arrived at Mistra some time later, and spoke to journalists as soon as they had returned to the bay.
“This week I received information from sources close to Labour leader Alfred Sant, that I and other officials in the Nationalist Party were going to end up victims of mud-slinging,” he said.
Pullicino Orlando stood by what he wrote in The Times yesterday, saying that he was not the applicant for the permit in question.
He said that he became the owner of the land “many years ago” after exercising his rights to do so. “I then reached an agreement with a third party, who has been paying rent for less than a year now.
“Afterwards I reached an agreement with that person to start developing that land. I never met the applicant because I reached the agreement through a third party,” Pullicino Orlando said.
Pullicino said he had “no difficulty” to publish the rent book in connection with this land in response to a question by this newspaper.
Asked by MaltaToday for his reaction to Sant’s comment during the press conference that money had passed hands in connection with this project, Pullicino Orlando said: “Definitely not. It is Sant’s usual tactic. Sant did not have the courage to face me and make the allegation in front of me so that I could rebut them immediately. I invite Alfred Sant to find an occasion to so that I can face him in public as I have tried to do twice in succession, but he was ride and cowardly, and did not do so.”
Asked whether he was in favour of this project or not, “I have already said that the land in question is mine. I have rented the land to third parties and I do not know even who the applicant is. I will not defend this development because it is not mine.”
At the same time, Pullicino Orlando said that the project was approved by George Micallef, “an MTA consultant who is close to Sant”.
“Do you know that the project was approved by the MRA, the MRAE, the WSC, Enemalta, and the KNPD?” he added.
Pullicino Orlando was quizzed more than a dozen times on this matter, but he failed from giving a clear “yes” or “no” as to his opinion about the development of the discotheque in the midst of an ODZ.
Asked why he came out so strongly against the development of a cement plant in Siggiewi a few years ago, he said: “I think we are speaking on something which is completely different.”
Asked by MaltaToday whether this issue dented his environmental credibility or not, Pullicino Orlando said: “I will leave the general public to decide. I reiterate that I went to defend my credibility twice in succession with my head held high and Alfred Sant was enough of a coward….”
He claimed that a Super One journalist had asked him a “stupid question” in order to obstruct him from reaching Malta on time for the press conference which was called all of a sudden.
The Nationalist MP was visibly edgy with the pressing questions of the numerous journalists who were asking him pressing questions, including half a dozen ONE News and Maltastar.com journalists.

czahra@mediatoday.com.mt