Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545300
4 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 10 JUNE 2026 NEWS Scientist wins €533,000 in court case against Indis over unpaid Luqa project fees Court rules Robert Cortis should not be left waiting indefinitely for payment simply because a Luqa landfill regeneration project had stalled A scientist was awarded €533,000 in a court case against Indis over unpaid fees for work on a stalled Luqa landfill re- generation project, along with a further €31,093 in a second judgment for separate works carried out on the same project. Indis, Malta's largest operator of government-owned indus- trial parks and facilities, was sued by Robert Cortis after the company attempted to shift payment fees onto the private consortia involved in the pro- ject's tender. Indis argued that, under the project's tendering process, the private consortia were expect- ed to initially fund the study themselves and seek reim- bursement from the company once the project progressed. Testifying in court, Indis CEO Jean Pierre Attard said the project had stalled due to un- resolved ownership issues, in- cluding land occupied by third parties, which prevented it from moving forward until the matters were resolved. Attard further explained that the company occupying the land had objected to the de- velopment while the project's environmental permit expired, meaning the project required a fresh application to progress. Judge Audrey Demicoli agreed that the original ten- der arrangements made sense while the project was active, but said the agreement no longer offered a fair solution given the project's prolonged suspension. Demicoli ruled that Cortis should not be left waiting in- definitely for payment simply because the wider project had stalled, with uncertainty still hanging over its future. The court dismissed argu- ments that the consortia alone should be responsible for the fees, ruling that Indis was the only entity liable for the debt. It said this was because Indis had benefited from the report drawn up by Cortis and had not disputed that his work was properly carried out. EVA BRANNON ebrannon@mediatoday.com.mt Indis was sued by Robert Cortis after the company attempted to shift payment fees onto the private consortia involved in the project's tender (File Photo) FOUR PAWS mission neuters tigers and leopard at L-Arka ta' Noè FOUR PAWS has completed a three-day veterinary mission at L-Arka ta' Noè, neutered two male tigers and one male leop- ard in a bid to prevent the future breeding of big cats at commer- cial facilities following changes to Maltese law. Under the new legal require- ments, private keepers must sterilise their big cats, while commercial and zoological facil- ities may only breed them with special permits. FOUR PAWS welcomed L-Arka ta' Noè's de- cision to voluntarily exit big cat breeding despite not being legal- ly obliged to do so. The treated tiger pair was moved into a larger enclosure to improve their overall keeping conditions. Although some vet- erinary examination results are still pending, FOUR PAWS said it will remain in contact with the owner to recommend further improvements. The global animal welfare or- ganisation's mission also as- sessed the overall health and welfare of the animals. As part of this, one female tiger underwent a physical examina- tion, blood sampling, ultrasound scans and X-rays to assess her current health status. "Malta's decision to improve the legislation on the breeding of big cats in captivity is a major step forward for animal welfare," Spokesperson for FOUR PAWS Patricia Tiplea said. "We wel- come the decision of the owner of L-Arka ta' Noè to withdraw from the big cat breeding indus- try and hope that other facilities, both commercial and private, will follow." However, FOUR PAWS stressed that the call for change goes beyond the facility. It re- iterated its appeal for Malta to curb the commercial trade in big cats and introduce a Positive List specifying which animals may be kept privately. The organisation said that, unlike a Negative List, which attempts to ban certain species reactively, a Positive List would provide clarity for enforcement authorities, improve public safe- ty and prevent the exploitation of wild animals whose complex needs cannot be met in private keeping. The organisation added that it is open to assisting owners of big cats and bears in Malta who are willing to exit the industry by providing veterinary checks and neutering. It said it remains committed to working with local authorities to tackle the issue and help the remaining captive big cats and bears. FOUR PAWS concluded by encouraging other owners to follow this example by neutering their animals and gradually exit- ing the breeding and keeping of big cats. Reporting by Eva Brannon FOUR PAWS encouraged other owners to follow this example by sterilising their animals and gradually exiting the breeding and keeping of big cats (Photo: FOUR PAWS)