Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1539534
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 17 SEPTEMBER 2025 NEWS Opposition wants government to go to court to recover Fortina millions THE Opposition expects gov- ernment to recover the millions that were "discounted" from the compensation paid by the For- tina Group for the rescission of land conditions in 2019. Nationalist Party MP Darren Carabott said the government must go to court to recover up to €16 million that Fortina should have paid in addition to the €8.1 million agreed in the 2019 deal. He was speaking alongside PN MPs Stanley Zammit and Ryan Callus outside the Lands Authority in Valletta in the af- termath of a damning National Audit Office report on the For- tina deal. Fortina paid €8.1 million to the government to remove con- ditions imposed on several par- cels of public land that it had acquired in the past. However, the NAO found that a report drawn up by an audit firm with a much higher valuation was kept hidden by the Lands Authority chair, the now deceased former judge Lino Farrugia Sacco. The audit report set a value of €18 million and €23.9 million, depending on repayment terms. Nonetheless, this report was kept hidden from the authority's board, the minister and MPs. Carabott called on govern- ment to ensure that all action is taken to ensure accountability is shouldered by those flagged in the NAO report. "This report reveals the dis- crepancy in realities this coun- try faces. While young couples and families are struggling to ac- quire their residence, the NAO report shows how government's actions gave Fortina a discount. No couples are given such gen- erous discounts," Carabott said. The latest request for a court case to be initiated follows the call made by Opposition leader Alex Borg on Monday in par- liament for a public inquiry and police investigation. Callus insisted the government was being disingenuous by try- ing to shift the responsibility for what happened solely on the Lands Authority. He asked Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg to be clear as to when he got to know about the valuation report that was kept secret. Callus also explained that the original valuation carried out by the authority—which was the one used to set the compensa- tion at €8.1 million—had deter- mined a value of €12 million but somebody at the authority de- cided to shave off capital gains taxes. Zammit insisted the PN in government will work for a transparent system to ensure the public gets value for money when such deals are made. KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt From left: PN MPs Stanley Zammit, Darren Carabott and Ryan Callus