PL Lija councillor Marc Sant – who criticised the board entrusted to distribute funds to councils – said that Minister Owen Bonnici’s comments to The Malta Independent that 10 councils filed an appeal tied to the allocation of funds shows that it was not only he who was “disappointed”.
“The fact that 10 councils filed an appeal to the board over the adjudication process speaks for itself,” Dr Sant said. Dr Sant recently said that the €1 million additional fund process was tainted and clouded. He said that the board failed to distribute the funds properly and that certain projects which were less important than others were allocated funds.
Minister Owen Bonnici on Tuesday said it is natural for councillors to be disappointed when they learn that they have not been allocated funds for certain projects but added that councils had a right to appeal their case.
Speaking to The Malta Independent, he said the funds were distributed in a justified and transparent manner. He also said the councils had a right to appeal their case while revealing that the board received 10 appeals but the 10th one was filed late.
When asked if the 10th appeal was filed by the Lija council, Dr Bonnici replied in the negative and said that the Lija appeal had come in on time.
He also highlighted that the board which is entrusted to allocate funds to councils is independent and so is the board which deals with the appeals filed.
In reaction to this, Dr Sant said that people are intelligent enough to decide whether the installation of Beleisha Beacons or the construction of a public convenience are more of a priority than the restoration of a historic monument or a train wagon.
“One of the projects I submitted was to embellish and upgrade the area around Villa Francia. The works were such a priority that last week the central government (through Transport Malta) did up the road itself.
“I think this fact alone justified my remarks on the way the board operated,” he said.
Villa Francia is the Prime Minister’s official residence in Lija.