Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1526919
7 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 SEPTEMBER 2024 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Tarlochan Singh put his name down on the planning appli- cation, which does not men- tion Portelli's involvement, but states that Singh had the 'con- sent' of the property owners to file the application. Singh is employed as a project supervisor by PRA Construc- tion, whose directors include Portelli, and partners Dan- iel Refalo, and Mark Agius, a spokesperson for the company told MaltaToday. The company said that, as per their policy, they "sometimes submit applications under the names of project supervisors involved in the development to simplify communication and create a sense of ownership over the project." In this case, Singh serves as "the point of contact" between the owners and the Planning Authority. In July, Singh also success- fully applied to sanction two penthouses in Portelli's Sannat complex despite a court of ap- peal ruling that these should never have been permitted. The Times of Malta recently revealed that the same non-EU national, Tarlochan Singh, was one of 20 non-EU nationals registered as living in an office belonging to Portelli's business partner, Mark Agius. By listing an employee as the applicant in the planning pro- cess, Portelli is not in breach of any law. Technically, anyone can apply for a planning per- mit on any site as long as they have the consent of the prop- erty owners. However, in most cases, Portelli usually applies through companies he owns with other entrepreneurs, such as Mark Agius and Daniel Re- falo. The latest application submit- ted by Singh foresees the demo- lition of the Al Fresco pizzeria, which has an extensive open terrace facing St George's Bay in Birżebbuġa. The restaurant is located next to a listed lodge that enjoys Grade 2 protection. The proposal involves the de- velopment of two villas, built over two stories and a base- ment, with extensive open ar- ea, one covering 365sq.m, and the other 391sq.m. By listing an employee as the applicant in the planning process, Portelli is not in breach of any law Portelli using proxy to seek permit to demolish Al Fresco pizzeria to build two villas CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The decision not to contest was a con- dition he laid down when accepting the Prime Minister's request to contest the post for deputy leader. "I believe I should finish my full term [as MEP] because I have a duty towards the 64,000 voters who placed their trust in me," Agius Saliba said, ruling out co-op- tion to the Maltese parliament. Labour Party delegates last week con- firmed the MEP as deputy leader party af- fairs with 92.3% of the vote. Agius Saliba was the sole contender for the post. Del- egates also confirmed Ian Borg as deputy leader parliamentary affairs with 95.8% of the vote in another one-horse race. Asked how he would juggle his job as MEP in Brussels with his new post, Agius Saliba said it was important for the party administration and the deputy leader to have a strong team supporting them. "I always believed that a person on his own, in the face of the challenges the two main parties are facing, cannot perform miracles to implement the necessary reforms," he said, adding that he had put forward Leonid McKay's name for party CEO. McKay is a former CEO at Caritas, the Housing Authority and the cannabis reg- ulatory authority, ARUC, and served as Agius Saliba's campaign manager in the last MEP election. He was appointed CEO, which is the only paid post in the party ad- ministration, instead of Randolph de Bat- tista, who was kicked upstairs as ambassa- dor to various international organisations based in Geneva. "I was one of the first to put forward his [McKay] name and push for him… apart from being a friend he was always a ref- erence point to me on social issues… I always appreciated Leonid's quality as a team builder, which is an important qual- ity in addition to having managerial com- petence," Agius Saliba said. The deputy leader also spoke about his stand against abortion but insisted he will not block discussion within the party on the issue. "If a branch of the party comes forward with a request to push forward a discussion or a motion on abortion, I will not stand in the way; on the contrary I want this to hap- pen because discussion is healthy," he said. Asked about the abortion amendment the government pushed through in 2023, Agius Saliba said he agreed with both the original proposal that sought to allow abortion if a woman's health or life are in danger and the final version which was wa- tered down to allow abortion if a woman's life is at risk. However, he insisted the timing of that proposal, a few weeks before Christmas, and without a proper information cam- paign was wrong. In the interview, Agius Saliba discussed the challenges mainstream political parties have to reach out and convince lukewarm voters, who are either disinterested in pol- itics or disenchanted by it. He said this growing cohort of voters is not limited to young people but also in- cludes traditional voters of the two main parties. "If we believe that with the narrative of 'prosit ministru', 'prosit prim ministru', 'keep it up' and an 'everything is OK' men- tality we are going to convince anyone in this growing category of voters that also includes traditional voters of the two main parties… [they are mistaken] because the narrative has changed," he warned. Agius Saliba defended his criticism of the timing of the Vitals magisterial inquiry conclusion, insisting its publication on the day the election campaign kicked off was intended to politically harm the Labour Party. He refuted the suggestion that this criti- cism was akin to defending former prime minister Joseph Muscat, who stands ac- cused of corruption. "There is a judicial process that is still un- derway. Joseph Muscat like other people charged in the case is presumed innocent unless proven otherwise… I am accused of defending Joseph Muscat but I never com- mented on the merits of the case," he said. Read excerpts of the interview in MT2 and watch the full version on maltatoday.com.mt 'I have a duty towards the 64,000 voters who placed their trust in me' Alex Agius Salliba addressing the PL General Conference