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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 28 JUNE 2015 News 9 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The emails in possession of MaltaToday show that the then-director general of the Lands Department, Albert Mamo, had estimated the land's value at just €60,000 and emphatically wrote in communication with former minis- ter for lands Jason Azzopardi that it was inconceivable that higher com- pensation be given for it. According to Albert Mamo, Per- esso's land at Mtahleb was outside development zones and therefore its value should be set according to the formulas set out in Chapter 88 as an agricultural piece of land, valued at €60,000. On 9 October, 2011, Mamo emailed Jason Azzopardi on the Emmanuel Peresso request, who was demanding an amount four times as much as it was worth. Peresso, Mamo says, had bought the land at a much lower price, and that it was then expropriated for road formation. It is apparent, from the tone of the email, that de- spite the €60,000 valuation Mamo sought out a new valuation. "I requested a fresh valuation and the value was increased to approximately €140,000. To this, one has to add damages/in- terest from the date of taking over of the land, but in order to increase the value as much as possible we took the date of the publication of the govern- ment gazette as the date of taking- over, even though the road may have been formed much later." Peresso however demanded that he be paid much more, Mamo revealed in his email. "He still insists that the price of the land is €400,000 and compiled a re- port by his architect basing his argu- ment on the market price and what the land would actually cost if sold for development today as this was his original intention." Mamo therefore suggested that it should be Peresso to contest the price in the Land Arbitration Board, but he said Peresso "criticised us as being unfair with him, mentioning other cases which has [sic] nothing to do with his issue." Mamo also complained to Azzop- ardi that the Lands Department was short of funds, so it offered Peresso a plot for him to develop. "As a last resort I offered him a de- cent building plot within scheme… this plot is developable on three floors and its market price (a con- servative price) would be in the re- gion of €360,000." Peresso was still not satisfied. Ac- cording to Mamo, Peresso then start- ed arguing that the area was not good enough, the road was not yet formed and "that he ultimately requires cash as one of his business deals failed". Mamo was clear: "I told him that we are already going out of our pa- rameters by offering the plot and that his is now impossible and that there- fore the only option left is to issue the gazette and if wishes he can proceed to LAB." MaltaToday is not aware as to what Azzopardi replied to Mamo. Within a fortnight of Mamo's email, Peresso wrote to the assistant director at the Government Property Department, Margaret Falzon, cop- ied to Lawrence Gonzi, saying: "The Prime Minister has confirmed to us that the Lands Department has issued another valuation of our taken land at Mtahleb… This new valua- tion amounts to €140,000 plus dam- ages and interest, from 1974 to date," he wrote. Peresso said that although the amount is not what he originally re- quested, he was accepting the valu- ation. "[We] sent a letter of thanks to the Hon. Prime Minister on this valuation in Monetary Terms. We are aware that the office of the Prime Minister has advised you on the agreement. Now that we have agreed to this final valuation as worked by your department, it is very important for us that we re- ceive the full payment of €140,000 + damages/interest at your very earliest." On receiving this email, that same day on 24 October, Falzon wrote to Mamo. "I do not know from where the €140,000 figure for the land excluding interests was obtained. According to our highest valuation, the price of the land was €59,130 while interests amounted to €58,946, in all €118,076." By 2012, Peresso had been paid what he apparently had requested. A notarial contract confirms that he was paid €404,020, on condition that he renounces any procedure in the Land Arbitration Board or in the courts. The valuation was hiked up to €206,000 – almost four times its original value – and an ex- tra €198,000 topped up in the form of interest and damages. In the wake of the controversial €1.65 million expropriation grant- ed to Mark Gaffarena for his half- ownership of an Old Mint Street, Valletta building, the Nationalist Party has mounted a searing criti- cism of parliamentary secretary for lands Michael Falzon, notably spearheaded by his predecessor, Jason Azzopardi. But Lands Department sources have told MaltaToday that in the past it was not unusual that re- quests for compensation for expro- priation were discussed with either ministers or the Office of the Prime Minister. A source lamented the fact that criteria regarding compensation amounted to a very subjective interpretation and very often de- pended on the complainant. CALL FOR APPLICATIONS JOB COACHES FOR THE ESF 3.113, SUPPORTED & SHELTERED EMPLOYMENT TRAINING FOR DISADVANTAGED GROUPS, INCLUDING RDPs FOR DISADVANTAGED GROUPS, INCLUDING RDPs MPO Reference No: MPO98/2005/09 ETC Permit No: 97/2014 The Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) is looking for persons who are highly motivated and committed to work with persons with disability. The selected persons will be employed as job coaches to provide training, assistance and support to persons with different disabilities. They will be employed on a definite contract of employment basis under the ESF funded project, 'Supported and sheltered employment training for disadvantaged groups including RDPs' till the end of November 2015. Through the Sheltered Employment Training activity, the Corporation will provide training to persons with different disabilities with the aim of improving their employability. The programme will include practical training in various sectors of the labour market and visits to different places of work. Applicants must be in possession of at least three 'O' levels (from grades 1 to 5 or A to C) and one year work experience with persons with disability, OR an MCAST Foundation Certificate in Care or equivalent in terms of level and course content, OR at least three years work experience with persons with disability. Applicants must be IT literate and can communicate well both in Maltese and in English. Work experience must be supported by a letter of reference or by a copy of the ETC Engagement Form. The names of two referees should be submitted with the letter of application. Interested persons should send an application letter, together with a detailed CV and a copy of their qualifications, by registered mail or by hand to: The Department Manager People Management & Corporate Services Employment and Training Corporation Head Office Ħal Far BBG 3000 Applicants must quote the code HR/21/15 in the application letter. Applications are to reach the Corporation by not later than Wednesday 8th July 2015. All applications will be acknowledged and will be treated in the strictest confidence. CV's sent by applicants will be kept by ETC for future reference. Those individuals who do not wish to have their CV kept by ETC should send a letter to the above address and will receive their CV back following the recruitment exercise. Operational Programme II - Cohesion Policy 2007-2013 Operational Programme II - Cohesion Policy 2007-2013 Empowering People for More Jobs and a Better Quality of Life Empowering People for More Jobs and a Better Quality of Life The Project is part-nanced by the European Union European Social Fund (ESF) Co-nancing rate: 85% EU Funds; 15% National Funds Investing in your future Emanuel Peresso (left) addressing Lawrence Gonzi 'Peresso requires cash as one of his business deals failed' The email to Jason Azzopardi from Albert Mamo The email from Emanuel Peresso to Margaret Falzon and copied to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi Margaret Falzon tells Mamo she was unaware of the valuation allegedly ordered by the OPM The notarial contract which shows the monetary compensation of €400,000 for Peresso