Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1532146
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 5 FEBRUARY 2025 NEWS MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt HOME affairs minister Byron Camilleri has insisted that he has already taken action against for- mer prison director Alex Dalli. Speaking to MaltaToday on Tuesday, Camilleri was confront- ed on the horrific details that emerged from an Ombudsman report that flagged dysfunctional prison management, the degrad- ing treatment of prisoners, rac- ism, and the use of intimidation as an operational tool. Throughout the years, stories of Dalli's cruelty were slowly emerg- ing, but Camilleri continued to defend him. When asked wheth- er he should shoulder political responsibility for defending Dalli, he insisted that he had taken the necessary steps in 2021. He referenced an inquiry he had launched at the time, as well as reforms and initiatives. A few months after being sacked as prison director, Dalli was award- ed a job with a €103,000 pay package and is now handling mi- gration control efforts as part of a joint Malta-Libya centre. When pressed on whether Dal- li's newest job constitutes as "ac- tion", Camilleri said that migrant boat arrivals have dropped signif- icantly. Camilleri would not respond on whether he believes that the Ombudsman's report merits an investigation, explaining that he will not get involved in police work. Similarly, when asked whether the police are investigating the report, the police said that they cannot confirm or deny the ex- istence of ongoing investigations. "It's our job to teach them fear" The Ombudsman's report found evidence of blatant rac- ism toward non-Maltese prison- ers, including a specific incident where a group of irregular im- migrants were forced to kneel and were intimidated by a police dog. One witness said that the inmates, who had just arrived at CCF were later stripped and hosed down with a pipe. There were also instances where an inmate's mail was being held by officials, and another instance where Dalli himself had refused his request to get married. The report also addresses claims about Dalli's use of his of- ficial firearm to threaten prison- ers. In 2023, Dalli had lost a libel case against Mediatoday newspa- per Illum and its editor Saviour Balzan on report claiming he held a gun in an inmate's mouth. The report also mentions a sign that was put up in a corridor shortly after Dalli was appoint- ed director which read, "If vio- lence and criminality are to be contained, we are the only peo- ple that can do so. The prisoner doesn't fear the police, judges or the jury. So it is our job to teach them fear. Welcome to prison!" Byron Camilleri would not respond on whether he believes that the Ombudsman's report merits an investigation (Photo: James Bianchi/ MaltaToday) Byron Camilleri insists he acted against Alex Dalli FROM PAGE 1 The report reveals that slightly more than half of long-term rent- al contracts in Gozo were priced below €700 per month in the sec- ond half of 2023. Another 38% of contracts ranged between €700 and €999, while just 9% exceeded €1,000 per month. Shared space rentals were even more afforda- ble, with 89% of contracts priced under €300 per month. Overall, rents in Gozo remain cheaper than in Malta. Around 83% of rental contracts in Gozo were below €899, whereas in Malta, only 51% of contracts fell within this price range. Con- versely, 40% of rental contracts in Malta exceeded €1,000, com- pared to just 9% in Gozo. Two- and three-bedroom apartments in Gozo had median monthly rents ranging from €550 in Munxar, the most affordable locality, to €834 in Xagħra. In comparison, St Paul's Bay – Mal- ta's most populous rental locality – registered median rents of €750 for two-bedroom apartments and €900 for three-bedroom apart- ments. Rental prices in Gozo were roughly half those in Sliema, one of Malta's most expensive rental areas. The number of registered rental contracts in Gozo has risen sharp- ly, with 7,478 tenants recorded in 2023, more than doubling from 2,760 in 2020. The most popular rental locality in Gozo is Żebbuġ, including the seaside village of Marsalforn. Żebbuġ is also the only locality in Gozo to surpass 1,000 active rental contracts in 2023. Other high-demand areas include Victoria, Għajnsielem, Munxar (which includes Xlen- di), and Xagħra, which together account for 68% of all rental con- tracts in Gozo. Sannat, Żebbuġ, and Qala have seen the largest increases in rent- al contracts since 2020. The num- ber of registered leases in Sannat has tripled over this period, albeit from a relatively low base. Composition of rental stock Apartments make up the vast majority of rental properties in Gozo, accounting for 78% of all contracts in 2023. Houses and villas represented 15%, while mai- sonettes made up the remaining 7%. The rental stock is dominat- ed by two- and three-bedroom units, which collectively account for 85% of rentals. The share of two-bedroom apartments has been increasing, making up 47% of Gozo's rent- al market, while three-bedroom units have seen a slight decline in relative share. Meanwhile, large properties with four or more bedrooms have remained stable at 4% of the rental market. Foreign workers drive demand The rental market in Gozo has expanded rapidly since the es- tablishment of the rent regis- ter in 2020. The number of ac- tive rental leases in Gozo grew from 1,772 in 2020 to 4,260 in 2023, mirroring trends in Mal- ta. Gozo's share of the national rental market has remained sta- ble at around 7.1% since 2022, up from 6.4% in 2020. Foreign residents have been a major driver of demand. By 2021, nearly 70% of rented res- idences in Gozo were occupied by non-Maltese tenants, reflect- ing increased foreign employ- ment on the island. The highest concentration of rental proper- ties is in Żebbuġ, where near- ly 30% of the residential stock consists of rental units. Munxar (20%) and Għajnsielem (17%) also have a significant share of rental properties, while Ta' San- nat and Kercem recorded the lowest proportions at 7.5% and 5.3%, respectively. Social housing in Gozo Social housing represents a small fraction of the rental market in Gozo, with only 270 properties leased for social ac- commodation, making up about 4% of Malta's total social hous- ing stock. The majority of gov- ernment-managed social hous- ing is located in Victoria, while privately leased properties are distributed across the island. The average annual rent for social housing in Gozo is ap- proximately €1,000. Around 18% of tenants pay less than €250 per year, while anoth- er 42% pay between €250 and €999. Rents exceeding €2,000 per year account for only 10% of social housing leases. Anoth- er segment of the rental market is composed of rent controlled properties with contracts pre- dating 1995. The average age of Gozitan and Maltese tenants in rent-controlled leases is 71 and 70 years, respectively. The study concludes by em- phasising the crucial role of the government, through the Housing Authority, in regulat- ing the housing market, ensur- ing the availability of adequate social housing and providing assistance to tenants residing in pre-1995 dwellings. More- over, according to the study social housing in Gozo is pri- marily allocated to tenants who have previously resided on the island, challenging the percep- tion that a significant portion is assigned to non-Gozitan res- idents. The paper is authored by Juer- gen Attard and Brian Micallef from the Gozo Regional Au- thority and Bryony Balzia Bar- tolo and Mirhea Mifsud Cutajar from the Housing Authority. Xaghra is the most expensive locality in Gozo Two- and three-bedroom apartments in Gozo had median monthly rents ranging from €550 in Munxar, the most affordable locality, to €834 in Xaghra