Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/823773
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 14 MAY 2017 16 News Iranians used Malta to buy planes and bypass US sanctions TIM DIACONO AN Iranian airline that is under US sanc- tions for supporting Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, used a Maltese leasing company as part of its strategy to acquire four planes. According to various testimonies to the US Congress from an American think tank, Mahan Air used Malta to circumvent US sanctions. Mahan Air, a private airline with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has been hit with US sanctions three times since the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011, in an attempt to discourage it from transporting troops and weapons to Syria's battlefield. However, the Foundation for Defence of Democracies (FDD), a US-based think- tank, warned in a recent report to Con- gress that Mahan Air had found a way to circumvent these sanctions through a net- work of front companies in various jurisdic- tions. The report states that Hi Fly Malta – a Maltese subsidiary of the Portuguese char- ter airline Hi Fly – had purchased four Airbus planes from British airline leasing companies between 2013 and 2015. The subsidiary was incorporated in Malta in January 2013. Shortly afterwards, they were transferred to Al-Naser Airlines – an Iraqi regional air- line that effectively acted as an intermediary for Mahan Air. Indeed on 8 May, 2015, Al-Naser sold these four planes – along with five others – to Mahan Air, allowing the Iranian airline to acquire aircraft in violation of US sanctions. According to the report, there is no in- dication that Airbus, Hi Fly Malta, or any other European companies that had owned or leased the planes prior to their sale to Al- Naser were aware of the Iraqi airline's in- tention to sell the planes to Mahan Air. The US Treasury Department sanctioned Al-Naser a few weeks after it sold the planes to Mahan Air, but the FDD warned that this action came too late as Mahan is currently operating all nine aircraft on both European and Asian routes. Attempts by the US to curb Mahan Air's commercial operations outside Iran, including in friendly Nato countries, Gulf states and Asian partners, have not succeeded. New laws are now being proposed in the US senate to crack down on Mahan Air, by requiring that Congress is provided with a list of all airports where the commercial carrier has landed. It comes at a time when national flag carrier Iran Air is in the pro- cess of hammering down multi-billion dol- lar deals with Boeing and other major plane builders. Irisl hide-and-seek Malta was once the Mediterranean transit hub of Iranian national shipping line Irisl en route to Europe before trade was cut due to intensified sanctions in 2010. When sanctions hit the shipping line, Iran used the Hafiz Darya Shipping Lines (HDS) to take over the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines' operations, by privat- izing the ships and changing their names in a bid to circumvent sanctions from the UK, the USA and the EU against it. Malta became the centre of a network of shell companies that Irisl used to stash its vessels, with at least 20 companies regis- tered at various Maltese addresses whose principals were actually Irisl officials. Using HDS as the shipping line man- aging the fleet, the Irisl vessels became Malta-flagged under ownership of dif- ferent Malta-resident companies, and their names were changed from their Ira- nian appellations into English-sounding names. The sanctions were lifted in January 2015 when the EU General Court annulled the restrictive measures. JAMES DEBONO THE Planning Authority has approved a 15 square metre agricultural store with a pano- ramic seaview in the Saghtrija area of Żebbug, Gozo, against the advice of the Environment Resources Authority. The agricultural store was ap- proved despite a memo from the Agricultural Advisory Com- mittee stating that although jus- tification existed for the store because the applicant was a reg- istered farmer tilling 7.5 tumoli of land, "no proof of agricultural activity has been provided" by the applicant. Subsequently the applicant submitted photos taken from the farmer's holdings, indicating "farming activity". And yet previous photos did not indicate any farming activ- ity, perhaps informed by the fact that the applicant was only registered as a farmer in August 2016. The agricultural store will have an area of 15 sq.m and a height of 3.2m. In its objections, the Environ- ment and Resources Author- ity expressed concern about proposals for buildings in the countryside under the pretext of agriculture, particularly those intended to serve relatively small or fragmented land hold- ings. "Cumulatively, these buildings together with similar structures in the area contribute to a sig- nificant take-up of undeveloped land, resulting in further site for- malization and proliferation of built development ODZ." The ERA described the site in question as one of overriding scenic and natural value which is predominantly unspoilt and free from physical development. "Ap- proval of this development risks setting an undesirable precedent for similar proposals, resulting in proliferation of built develop- ment in the area and piecemeal loss of undeveloped land". The Planning Directorate disa- greed with the ERA, describing its concerns as generic and not specific to this application. But it still recommended a refusal due to lack of proof of arable farming in the area. But the Environment Plan- ning Commission overturned the recommendation of the case officer because the application conformed to the rural policy and was deemed justifiable by the AAC. Qormi zoning change paves way for DIY store instead of elderly home JAMES DEBONO THE zoning of an archeologically rich area opposite the park-and-ride facil- ity in Qormi has been changed from a site for an old people's home, to one for retail development, and a condi- tion limiting heights to three floors has been removed. The 2006 local plan had zoned the area as "a soft landscaped area with underlying warehouses" of not more than one storey. The warehousing development also had to have a large landscaped area at roof level. But the change in zoning was ap- proved by the Planning Authority in March and ratified by the minister on 24 April. An application was presented by Centre Park Holdings, proposing a DIY retail complex opposite the park and ride in Qormi. The company is owned by Paul Caruana's Quality Holdings Limited, Anthony Fenech's Tum Invest and V&C Developments Ltd, which is owned by Charles and Vincent Borg. The zoning of the site had already been changed from warehousing to a retirement complex in August 2013, when the site belonged to another owner. Back then, the old corner building on site had to be conserved as a commu- nity centre and the area above the de- velopment was to be retained as open space. Development was limited to a maximum floor space of 10,800 sq.m. The original zoning permit also spec- ified that the Floor Area Ratio mecha- nism –through which developers can apply for extra heights in return for more open space – does not apply to the site. The latest zoning permit does not include this condition. Neither does it limit the maximum floorspace. Instead a new condition has been approved, stating that "the form and treatment of the elevations of the de- velopment should provide both de- tailed and large scale visual interest and shall enhance the streetscape and the surrounding environment through high quality design." The new zoning conditions also fore- see the relocation of an existing farm- house to be dismantled and relocated to another part of the site. The devel- oper is obliged to protect archeological remains on the site and to pay for the upkeep of a public open space area. A condition has also been imposed to ensure that the launching of licensed fireworks in this area is not compro- mised. Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar has already objected to the development proposed in the area. "The develop- ment being proposed is within an ex- tensive archaeological complex with structures ranging from the Bronze Age to the Roman Period and beyond, and should therefore be regarded as an invaluable historic site of national im- portance." The organisation also expressed disa- greement with the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage decision to preserve three specifically designated remains "in isolation of their surroundings", describing this as a measure that gross- ly undermines the true value of this ar- chaeological complex. Gozo store sets 'undesirable precedent', ERA warns