Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/852418
Newspaper post SUNDAY • 23 JULY 2017 • ISSUE 924 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY SUNDAY • 23 JULY 2017 • ISSUE 924 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY maltatoday YOUR FIRST READ AND CLICK OF THE DAY WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT INTERVIEW IMMANUEL MIFSUD Smart City ink promise-of-sale before MPs vote on masterplan 14 15 Why the novelist and playwright has 'given up hope' MATTHEW VELLA & JAMES DEBONO A promise-of-sale agreement between SmartCity Malta and the company Ricasoli Properties has already been signed for the sale of land to be developed into the luxury Shoreline apartments, despite changes to the Smart City masterplan not yet having been voted upon by Maltese MPs. In a controversial move, the owners of Smart City – once billed as a futuristic 'inter- net city' that would revive the south of Malta – have already signed off on a promise-of-sale to South African businessman Ryan Edward Otto's Ricasoli Properties. A company representative who spoke to MaltaToday would not disclose the amount of the sale of the land, and that the agreement did not involve any government representa- tives. Ricasoli Properties is owned by Otto's Jade Property Investments (50%), Roderick Psaila's Ramm Assets (40%) and Middletown Properties (10%), whose owners are lawyers Jean Carl Farrugia and Kevin Deguara – the latter having already made a public appear- ance on behalf of Sadeen, the Jordanian company aiming to develop Zonqor Point in Marsaskala into the American University of Malta. The Maltese government holds a 10% stake in SmartCity Malta, represented by the Prime Minister's chief of staff Keith Schem- bri on the board of directors. But Schembri took no questions from MaltaToday on the conditions of sale or the government's stance on the sale, instead di- recting this newspaper to the Smart City management. Ricasoli Properties are already accepting 10% down-payments on the apartment, and expect another 10% payment when full de- velopment permits come through in Novem- ber 2017, another 30% on completion of the shell unit, and the final 50% on finishing. They have already sold 68 apartments from their Block B and 13 apartments on Block C, where prices range from €225,000 for a 74 sq.m studio apartment (€3,000 per sq.m, to €750,000, for a 199 sq.m duplex apartment (3,768/sq.m). 10 11 Adrian Delia turned down 2013, 2017 candidature PAUL COCKS ADRIAN Delia, one of the four candidates vy- ing to replace outgoing Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil, refused to run for the last two general elections on the party's ticket, despite being asked to do so by senior officials. Delia is contesting the party's leadership elec- tion together with Chris Said, Alex Perici Calas- cione and Frank Portelli. He told MaltaToday that Busuttil, as well as outgoing deputy leader Mario de Marco, had approached him in 2013 and earlier this year to contest the elections with the PN. He had re- fused on both occasions. "I have five young children, aged 14, 12, 10, eight and five," he said. "In 2013, when I was asked first asked to run, my professional life was still at its peak." Delia said it would also have been a "very, very difficult" choice to make, because of financial reasons. As to why he did not join the PN ticket this year, he said that the elections came prema- turely. "I was president of a top Maltese football club with a lot of responsibilities and could not simply drop everything." Delia confirmed that it was De Marco who had urged him to contest both elections, backed by Busuttil, and other party officials. Delia had given a testimonial in favour of De Marco's own leadership bid back in 2013, which he had lost to Busuttil. But Delia said that neither De Marco, nor any other official, had encouraged him to contest the upcoming leadership contest. "De Marco did not contact me, nor did anyone else in the party," he said. 4 VODAFONE-MELITA WHAT'S IN IT FOR CONSUMERS? PGS 6-7 Over 80 apartments in two of the seven blocks of The Shoreline have already been sold on plan PN LEADERSHIP •PGS 2-3 Said makes declaration of assets, Delia plans new PN structure, ANALYSIS • The General Council VODAFONE-MELITA WHAT'S IN IT FOR How a takeover could change Malta's telecoms market SUNDAY • 23 JULY 2017 • ISSUE 924 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY today today • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY today • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY €1.75 16 17 16 17 16 17 16 17 16 17 16 17 Legalisation and the Maltese agenda on weed Public threat or just another habit? MALTA'S MISSING CATCH 700 TONNES OF FISH GO UNREPORTED EVERY YEAR