Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1137604
3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 JUNE 2019 NEWS Qala lands Issued by Bank of Valle a p.l.c., 58, Triq San Żakkarija, Il-Belt Valle a VLT 1130 More informa on is available from www.bov.com or contact 2131 2020. NOTICE TO CUSTOMERS Bank of Valle a p.l.c. is a public limited company regulated by the MFSA and is licensed to carry out the business of banking and investment services in terms of the Banking Act (Cap. 371 of the Laws of Malta) and the Investment Services Act (Cap. 370 of the Laws of Malta). Customers are advised that, as from Monday 1 st July 2019, opening hours for branches shall be: Monday to Friday 8.30 - 13.30 Saturday 8.30 - 12.30 MATTHEW VELLA THE Maltese archdiocese has refused to explain what degree of control it has retained with the 'possessors' of a foundation created in 1675, to safeguard a vast tract of residential lands and the countryside around Qala, stretching out to the coastline. The lands are part of a foun- dation created by the noble- woman Cosmana Navarra, the rules of which demand that its possessor be a male descend- ant, but also that the founda- tion is administered by a 'rec- tor' appointed with the blessing of the bishop of Malta. In 2017, the Maltese church came to an agreement with the Stagno Navarra family, who have laid claim to the founda- tion and its assets since the 1990s, which regulates the de- gree of consent from the Arch- bishop that the foundation's has to negotiate on the lands sold or leased to farmers and residents. The agreement allows the Archbishop retains the right to validate any land transfers, save for those dealing with tempo- rary emphyteuses. But that has residents and farmers in Qala who spoke to MaltaToday on tenterhooks, after receiving letters from law- yers representing the founda- tion Abbazia di Sant Antonio delli Navarra, demanding ex- orbitant hikes in their annual leases. "I was asked to pay 30 times the amount I have for the four tumuli of land I till here in Qa- la," one farmer told MaltaTo- day this week. "It's not worth it. Some people are paying it under duress, while others are consid- ering abandoning the land." The main actors in this land saga are the Stagno Navarra family, who since the 1990s have been working hand in hand with lawyer Carmelo Galea – a legal advisor to the Gozo bishop – and retired magistrate Dennis Montebello. Together, the parties recently formed the company Carravan Limited. Montebello's daughter's part- ner, the lawyer Peter Valentino, is now the appointed rector of the Abbazia, with the bless- ing of the Archbishop, giving the foundation clearer control on the lands. The agreement also included the payment of €200,000 to the Maltese church – money that arguably should cover pious obligations to Cos- mana Navarra as laid out in the foundation's rules from the 1600s. A Church spokesperson yes- terday refused to explain what the money will be used for. While the Church has no title to the lands, Qala residents fear unchecked control of the lands in private hands is about to ex- acerbate the price of the land. Examples from Qala residents include one family whose land, acquired by a family of farmers since the 1890s for a pittance in today's prices, had its emphy- teusis expire in 1990. At this time, the Abbazia's rector, a cleric, had passed away, paving the way for a pro- tracted battle in court between the Church and the late Richard Stagno Navarra, who demand- ed he became the rector of the Abbazia. In 2010, the family filed a court case to force the Church to ex- tend its emphyteutical grant. The Church was then still objeting to a dubious 24-hour decision by then magistrate Carol Peralta, how in 1992 recognised Stagno Navarra as the Abbazia's rector. Stagno Navarra was then already ink- ing deals with Montebello and Galea's company to lease them the land, ostensibly for develop- ment purposes. That matter was resolved in 2013, when the Court of Appeal impugned Peralta's decision and recognised the Church's representative as the rector of the Abbazia. The Qala family who spoke to MaltaToday said they were reassured by that news, when soon after the court threw out their case. "We breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that with the Church in control, we could ne- gotiate an honest price for the land." There is a catch to this story: their lawyer had been the re- nowned Carmelo Galea. Per- haps the family was unknowing of the complex network of in- terests on the Qala land. And indeed little did they know that in February 2017, the Maltese archdiocese had ac- cepted the Stagno Navarras' re- quest to appoint Peter Valenti- no as the rector of the Abbazia. "We went to a meeting at the courtroom thinking we were going to deal with a Church representative. At that point, Galea told us we were meeting Valentino, the rector of the Ab- bazia." The family finally paid €450,000 to have a perpetual title on the land, registered in their name with the Lands Au- thority. The Archdiocese has not an- swered MaltaToday's ques- tions as to what extent it has devolved its control entirely on these 'prices hikes' on the Qala lands and their leases. Notarial records also show the Abbazia has transferred over 27,000 square metres of land to Carravan, the company jointly owned by Galea, Montebello and Stagno Navarra, for an an- nual €35,000 emphyteusis. MaltaToday asked the Arch- diocese what sort of consent it is obliged to give to the Ab- bazia on land deals and trans- fers, to understand whether the foundation's rules have been amended under the 2017 agree- ment with the Stagno Navarras. No answer was given. Last week, MaltaToday also reported that the Abbazia is in a court battle with quarry own- ers Gatt Developments, who had earmarked the land for the development of a cruise liner terminal. Contact Matthew Vella securely on mvella@mediatoday.com.mt Qala farmers recieve notice of hiked rents