Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/341807
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 6 JULY 2014 News 7 TIM ATTARD MONTALTO THE luxury boutique hotel in Birgu, the Palazzo Vittoriosa, has been put up for sale at €4.2 million, just 18 months after opening for business. The former 16th century palace is owned and was renovated by Dutch couple Jessica and Remco Slik, who received €85,000 in EU grants for the renovation. A change of use does not seem to be being ruled out, although this has raised questions as to whether it would bring the owners into conflict with EU rules over the considerable funds issued for the hotel's renova- tion. Malta Tourism Authority chief executive Josef Formosa Gauci said the EU money would have to be paid back if the property were to be sold as a residence. The hotel opened for business in December 2012, with then Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi saying that the boutique hotel "showed the way forward in transforming Malta into a top class destination for tourists in the shoulder months". Formosa Gauci said that, prior to this newspaper's call, he had been unaware of any plans to sell the ho- tel. "What we would now need to look into is in what form the prop- erty is going to be sold," he said. "At the end of the day, the owners were given the grant for the restoration and opening of a top-end hotel. The scheme was not given to them in or- der to fund a private residence or sell it as such. "If the property is sold as a resi- dential unit, then the owners would need to pay back the grant they re- ceived in its entirety," he said. "If, on the other hand, the plot is sold as a going concern – with the purpose of the property remaining the same – then the new owners would need to take on the responsibility of the agreement themselves. "The fact of the matter is that the obligations and commitments agreed to at the time need to be met and adhered to," he said. "If that prop- erty becomes a private residence, it would completely change the pur- pose of those funds." On his part, Remco Slik said that it was only "the nature of business" to put property up for sale, in order to gauge the level of market interest there was in the property. "The busi- ness is thriving and we are very hap- py with the feedback we have been getting," Slik said. "We even get a lot of international coverage." Asked if the couple are to sell the place as a hotel or otherwise, Slik said that was a decision which was out of his hands. Nonetheless, he ex- pressed a wish that the hotel would remain in its current form. "It would be crazy, stupid even, for me to want to see something I have put my heart and soul into, just disappear," he said. "So, definitely my preference will be to see the Palazzo remain as it is but, ultimately, that is not really up to me." When it was put to him that should he sell the hotel as a residential prop- erty, he would need to pay back the funds he received, Slik said that he fully understood the situation. "We have a signed a public contract," he said. "There is, of course, no way we can walk away from that." The Sliks, who have lived in Malta since 2001, bought the Palazzo Vit- toriosa in May 2008 and transformed it into a top-end bed-and-breakfast, declaring that "it was a shame to keep this historical gem for ourselves." Initially built in 1565 and unused for decades prior to its transforma- tion into a tourist asset, the palace was a beneficiary of sustainable tourism funds. The question now is whether it will be sold as a residen- tial property. MIRIAM DALLI THE Chief Executive Officer of en- ergy company Edison S.p.a., Bruno Lescoeur, has been confirmed as a guest speaker for this week's confer- ence on the security of gas supply across Europe and the Mediterra- nean. Malta will play host to the Energy Conference between Thursday and Friday, when European ministers will discuss the role of gas develop- ments in the Mediterranean region. Recent events in Ukraine, which have seen Russia cutting off gas sup- plies to Ukraine over unpaid bills, has prompted energy ministers to come together, concerned that this situation could affect Europe's gas supply in the long-term. The two-day conference will be chaired by Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi and the European Commis- sioner for Energy, Günther Oet- tinger. "Edison is just one of the reputa- ble companies in the energy field we are expecting to be present," sources close to the energy ministry said, adding there has been "an encourag- ing interest". Founded in 1884, Edison is Eu- rope's oldest energy company and the second largest energy company in Italy. It is a European leading op- erator with operations in the supply, production and sales of electric pow- er and hydrocarbons, operating in 10 countries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and employing about 3,200. Another confirmed guest speaker of international repute is interna- tional gas business specialist Michael Stoppard, Head of Global Gas Strat- egy at information provider and market analyst IHS. Their participation at the confer- ence was hailed by ministry sources as "testament to Malta's strategic importance in Euro-Med energy af- fairs". "The government's efforts in at- tracting foreign investment and in positioning Malta as an energy hub in the Mediterranean region are bearing fruit," they said. The European Union is now more committed in identifying alternative routes of gas supply to reduce its overdependence on Russian gas. EU leaders are now more than ever con- scious of Europe's necessity to diver- sify its sources to secure its supply in the long-term. According to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, greater cooperation between countries in the Mediter- ranean, North Africa and mainland Europe provides Malta with the per- fect opportunity to act as an energy hub in the Mediterranean. DANIEL MIZZI A 29-year-old Portuguese trans- sexual has been sentenced to seven years in prison and handed a €21,000 fine after pleading guilty to smug- gling some half a kilo of heroin in his stomach. In a decree earlier this week, Mr Justice Michael Mallia in the Crimi- nal Court heard that back in May 2013, Ruben Dos Santos Crisos- tomo, who comes from Porto, had arrived in Malta on a flight from Turkey carrying 45 heroin capsules in his stomach. Though he passed through air- port customs, the drug courier was tracked to a hotel in Sliema and ar- rested after police had received an anonymous tip-off. He was then found to be in pos- session of the heroin, and was sub- sequently charged with importing heroin, conspiring to sell heroin, and of heroin possession. The police's investigations also saw them press charges against Libyan Mahmed Amber Mahmud Ali after the latter, who was mentioned in Crisostomo's police statement, was caught in possession of €2,000 in cash at the same Sliema hotel. The Libyan had claimed that he had called at the hotel to deliver food to the Portuguese drug mule. Nevertheless, he was charged with conspiring to traffic half a kilo of heroin. He had pleaded not guilty and is awaiting judgment. Mr Justice Mallia sentenced Crisostomo to seven years in prison, fined him €21,000, and ordered him to pay the sum of €1,467.23 to meet court costs. Inspector Nikolai Sant prosecuted. FRANCESCO Consalvo, 26, and Filippo Parasole, 29, both of Catania, have been sent down for eight months after pleading guilty to each being in possession of 70 grams of cannabis. Prosecuting Inspector Nikolai Sant told the court that the amount of cannabis discovered was enough for 350 cannabis joints, thus denoting that it was not for the personal use of the two men. "The typical dose for a joint is 0.2 grams of cannabis, so inevita- bly, this means that the 70 grams found in the possession of the ac- cused was not for their personal use," the inspector told the court. The two Sicilians pleaded guilty. Magistrate Natasha Galea Scib- erras sentenced the men to eight months behind bars and fined them €800 each. The court ordered that the drugs to be destroyed. Portuguese drug courier sentenced to seven years behind bars Sicilians jailed for cannabis possession Boutique hotel on sale at €4.2 million Edison chief confirmed guest speaker at the Malta Energy Conference After just 18 months in business If the property is sold as a residential unit, the owners would need to pay the grant back Then Prime Minister Gonzi saw the hotel as a way forward for Malta Bruno Lescoeur