Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541835
RODERICK Galdes is under pressure over the purchase of a duplex penthouse in Gozo at be- low-market price from develop- er Joseph Portelli with Labour MPs questioning his political judgement. Galdes, who is minis- ter responsible for social and affordable housing, was cast into the spotlight after it was revealed that he bought a penthouse with airspace and ga- rage for a mere € 1 4 0 , 0 0 0 . The prop- erty is sit- uated in the Ħal G e l m u s r e s i d e n - tial complex in Rabat, Gozo, built by developers Joseph Portelli, Mark Agius and Daniel Refalo. Galdes has defended the low purchase price, saying he re- served it in 2021 by entering into a pre-development agree- ment with the developers for a €5,000 deposit. The promise of sale agreement was done three years later, in 2024, and the contract finalised in Jan- uary this year. But Gal- des's expla- nation has not convinced several fellow Labour MPs who spoke to this newspaper on condition of anonymity to be able to speak freely about internal mat- ters. "Not one of my constituents has found the price of Roderick Gal- des's penthouse believable," an irate Labour backbencher told MaltaToday. "I find it hard to justify that price when ordinary apartments are going at significantly much high- er rates, making it hard for young people to buy their own flat," the backbencher said. Another Labour MP said it jarred that the minister responsible for housing has defied the market and managed to secure such a bar- gain price for a penthouse. "It's true that the property is in Gozo, where prices are generally lower than Malta but it irks people when the minister of affordable housing, of all things, buys a penthouse at a price that is unavailable in the market," the MP said. YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT SUNDAY 7 DECEMBER 2025 • ISSUE 1362 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY Fr Marcello Ghirlando maltatoday Madonna landmark Opinion Fgura council agrees on 15-metre-high pedestal and statue SEE PAGES 12 AND 13 CONTINUES PAGE 4 Galdes, his penthouse and irked Labour MPs KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt PAGE 3 JP Fabri on why the mere presence of foreign workers is not the problem PAGE 15 INTERVIEW MT2 Dolphins in good health Malt Malta's exorcist a's exorcist on evil spirits and on evil spirits and mental health mental health issues issues €2.20 A welfare investigation of the five dolphins and sealion at the Mediterraneo Marine Park in Bahar ic-Caghaq found that the marine animals are in good health, contradicting activists' claims to the contrary. MaltaToday reports exclusively on the investigation's findings. Roderick Galdes