Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/528426
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 17 JUNE 2015 7 News Gaffarenas: a tale of illegalities CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 The Gaffarena clan has a long and checkered history of building without the necessary permits or in outside-development-zone (ODZ) and running illegal op- erations. Over the years, the Gaffare- nas have switched political al- legiance after failing to gain a permit for a petrol station in Qormi under the previous PN administration. However, the Gaffarenas did not enter the political fray two years ago and their first involvement in a po- litical scandal came before the turn of the new millennium. The Daewoo scandal In the early nineties Joe Gaf- farena, the director of the fam- ily business and father of Marco Gaffarena, was involved in a controversy over the location of the Daewoo car showroom in Mdina Road, Qormi, which was originally built without a plan- ning permit, as was its car stor- age at Hal Farrug. On the same premises, Joe Gaf- farena also had another busi- ness, Planka Ltd, again without the necessary permits. The company was later sold to Bastjan Dalli, brother of former Nationalist minister John Dalli, who renamed the company Mix- er Ltd. Joe Gaffarena later sold his shares in the Daewoo car sales agency to former ambassador Joseph Mary Scicluna. Although Joe Gaffarena's li- cence to sell the Korean cars was due to expire and no agreement to renew it was in place, the businessman received several properties, including the Three Rocks Hotel and a large plot of land in Bahrija and the Dacia Car Sales Agency, in addition to a cash payment in return. Qormi petrol station In 2014, Marco Gaffarena – a shareholder in J Gaff Service Station Ltd – was granted a con- troversial permit for the J. Gaff service station in Qormi by the Malta Environment and Plan- ning Authority, after it had been forcefully shut down in 2008 and again in 2009 after its own- ers built new structures on site illegally. The Gaffarena family was granted a temporary clearance to reopen its petrol station in Qormi against a €500,000 bank guarantee. In reaction to the controversial permit, Joe Gaffarena said that his eight children had suffered "hardship" for five years due to the station's closure. The Gaffarenas not only ap- plied to sanction illegalities on the site of the ODZ petrol sta- tion, which had already been re- fused by MEPA in 2011, but also applied to construct a 31-square metre food and beverage outlet, with six car washes on the same site. Gaffarena was awarded a per- mit to erect the petrol station in 2007, but subsequent additions were made without a permit. In January 2011, MEPA turned down the sanctioning of exten- sion works to Gaffarena's petrol station because the illegalities on site were resulting in the fur- ther intensification of urbaniza- tion in an outside development zone. Way back in 2008, MEPA had issued an enforcement notice and sealed off access to the en- trance, given that Gaffarena had wilfully decided to go beyond the approved planning permis- sion he got in 2006 for the con- struction of the petrol station. Following the issuing of the permit last year, the former par- liamentary secretary for plan- ning, Michael Farrugia had de- fended the decision, insisting that everyone should be given an opportunity to regularise their position, and that Gaffarena had been "promised a permit before the elections." But Nationalist MP and MEPA board member Ryan Callus had dismissed Farrugia's claims, insisting that MEPA had twice turned down Gaffarena's appli- cation under the previous ad- ministration. The Bonello incident In 2011, an individual who re- ferred to himself as 'Gaffarena' assaulted former judge Gio- vanni Bonello, who had firmly opposed the permit application while serving as a MEPA board member. The former European Court of Human Rights judge said he was attacked in a restau- rant in St Julian's for refusing to vote in favour of lifting the sanctions on Gaffarena's petrol station. Joe Gaffarena had denied Bonello's claims, insisting that neither he nor any of his chil- dren had ever attacked Bonello. Illegal restaurant in Qormi For years Marco Gaffarena has operated an illegal restaurant and entertainment venue in tal- Handaq, Qormi. Despite being served with an enforcement notice by MEPA in 2012, the venue known as Tac- Cavett continues to promote it- self for pool parties and BBQ's. The entertainment venue is categorised as an "agricultural holding" in MEPA documents and was one of the seven parcels of land given to Gaffarena in ex- change for half of the Old Mint Street building in Valletta. ODZ old people's home in Birgu This year, Joseph Gaffarena re-applied to construct a four- storey high old people's home in an afforested area outside devel- opment zones in Birgu. The development, which is be- ing proposed over a 2,770 square metre site, would be located in the vicinity of the protected Tal- Hawli valley. The application, which is still being screened by the Malta Environment and Planning Au- thority was presented by Prof. Mark Brincat on behalf of St Paul Residential Homes Lim- ited, which is owned by Joseph Gaffarena. Labour MP Charles Buhagiar is listed as "project architect" in the plans submitted to MEPA. Buhagiar is government- appointed chairman of the Building In- dustry Consulta- tive Council – the Valletta offices for which Marco Gaffarena was granted a €1.65 million expro- priation deal. The appli- cation was filed in September 2013 and Buhagiar submitted fresh plans to MEPA on 22 May, 2015. Joe Gaffarena said his eight children had suffered 'hardship' for five years due to the station's closure NOTICE by the Electoral Commission The Electoral Commission notifies the issue of a Request for Information (RFI) to conduct market research for the proof of concept of an Electronic Vote-Counting solution. The RFI may be downloaded from the Publications section in the Electoral Commission's website www.electoral.gov.mt. Requests for clarifications on the subject may be submitted in writing to the Chief Electoral Commissioner at joseph.church@gov.mt by not later than Friday, 31st July, 2015. The information requested in the completed RFI must reach the Chief Electoral Commissioner both as a so copy at joseph.church@gov.mt and as a hard copy at the Office of the Electoral Commission, Evans Building, Merchants Street, Valletta, VLT 2000 by not later than noon of Monday, 31st August, 2015. J Gaff Service Station in Qormi had been shut down because of illegal structures Joe Gaffarena