Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545155
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 31 MAY 2026 NEWS CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 Said had mediated a €7,000 payment in 2008 to the family of a 14-year-old rape victim, allegedly encouraging them to withdraw the criminal com- plaint rather than pursue court proceedings. The complaint named multiple men, includ- ing the brothers of former PN MP Chris Said. The girl's fam- ily members later testified that they felt pressured into with- drawing the complaint. All four accused were acquitted given that the complaint was with- drawn. The case resurfaced last March when the acquittal was confirmed on appeal. Borg said the case is being pro- cessed in line with the Vos Estis Lux Mundi guidelines, a frame- work introduced by Pope Fran- cis in 2019 specifically to hold church authorities accountable for covering up or obstructing the reporting of abuse. Unlike standard safeguarding procedures, which deal with direct perpetrators, Vos Estis applies to those who enabled, concealed, or interfered with complaints. Borg was careful to set out the commission's role in the process. "We always carry out a preliminary investigation, we do not pass judgment, we make recommendations," she said. "You cannot rush to give state- ments just because a judgment has come out." On the question of public accountability, Borg acknowl- edged that people have a right to information, but only to a point. "The public has a right to know, to a certain extent," she said. She said that speaking too openly while a case is still be- ing processed risks deterring others from coming forward. "If someone is thinking about whether to come to us, and they see the head of the commission speaking to the media, they might wonder: 'Will she speak about my case tomorrow?' That is why I feel the need, es- pecially at this point while the case is still being processed, to hold back." A 160-page judgment, she added, does not tell the full sto- ry. "Very often, we end up com- menting more on the headlines and the titles than on the ac- tual case. We need to see it in its totality. We have to be very cautious, above all, to safeguard the victim and her entire fam- ily." Borg acknowledged that no action was taken when Said's involvement first became pub- lic in 2008. "The commission didn't exist then; the policy didn't exist and neither did mandatory reporting," she said. That gap meant the case lay dormant for nearly two decades before the Court of Appeal rul- ing brought it back into public view earlier this year. Borg says public disclosure must be balanced against victim protection The Curia Gozo Fr Michael Said Naxxar towers project seeks two additional floors SAN Pawl tat-Targa Investments Limited, the developer behind the Naxxar Towers project in Naxxar has submitted a new application proposing the extension of the penthouse level and the addition of two floors to one of the two blocks of the approved develop- ment on the site of the former trade fair's car park along Triq il- Markiz Giuseppe Scicluna. If approved this will add eight new apartments to the 136 ap- proved in 2021. The request fol- lows an earlier Planning Control amendment, which revised the zoning parameters for the urban block by reducing the front gar- den setback from three metres to 1.2 metres along all site frontages. The Planning Control amend- ment was based on the reconfigu- ration of open space and develop- ment parameters within the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) framework. The revision reduced the zoned front garden area from approximately 860sq.m to around 351sq.m. Reducing the front garden desig- nation increased the potential developable footprint by approx- imately 509sq.m. This effectively paved the way for the two addi- tional floors on one of the blocks which is being proposed now. The original development at the site was approved in December 2021 and consists of two resi- dential towers, one of 10 storeys and the other with eight storeys. As approved in 2021 the devel- opment includes 136 residential units, four basement levels of parking, and a mix of commercial and community uses, as well as internal landscaped open space. A representation has been sub- mitted objecting to the current application. The objection raises concerns about increased traf- fic generation, parking demand, and the capacity of surrounding roads in Naxxar. It also refers to cumulative development impacts in the locality and states that the existing road network con- sists largely of narrow residential streets and lanes. The objection further refers to the height of the existing approved development in relation to the surrounding village context, including its proximity to the parish church, and argues that further intensification would increase pressure on local infra- structure and alter the local sky- line. Reporting by James Debono On the question of public accountability, Borg acknowledged that people have a right to information, but only to a point. "The public has a right to know, to a certain extent," she said