The authorities have “thankfully” always put the good of the country and the economy before bureaucracy, the manager of Fiera l-Kbira, which is held every year at the controversial Montekristo Estate, told this newspaper yesterday.

The event, one of two big trade fairs organised every years, the other being the MFCC fair, is now in its third edition. Montekristo Estate, which is owned by construction magnate Charles Polidano ic-Caqnu, is notorious for its diverse planning illegalities, which are now being corrected. The popular wedding and event venue is perhaps best known for two incidents involving big cats – housed in an illegal zoo – in which two young children were hurt. The unlicensed animal park is now closed to the public.

An issue arose a few weeks back when the Planning Authority said it would not allow the Fiera l-Kbira to spill over areas of illegalities. The organisers complained, saying that there would not be enough space for the 200 or so exhibitors and that the authorities had always allowed them to use all the space required. The issue was resolved after talks were held between the organisers and the government and after the PA was assured that the illegal zoo would not be open to the public and that works to dismantle the illegal structures would continue as planned.

Huge demand for large venues

In comments to The Malta Independent yesterday, Paul Abela, the fair manager, said the authorities recognised that there was a demand for large venues and that these did not have a ‘continuous’ licence. “You need two licences to organise a fair like Fiera l-Kbira:  one that show that the place is authorised and the second to hold the actual event. There is no one place that holds all the required licences all year round.”

Mr Abela said the authorities had always placed the national and economic importance of such events above bureaucracy. “From our end we will keep in line with what the authorities tell us and follow the guidelines we are given. We spoke to the authorities about this issue that we had and, thank god everyone understood this position.”

Without the necessary permits a trade fair like Fiera l-Kbira would have to be split into three and such large-scale events would not be possible to hold in Malta, he said. “These large scale activities benefit the country, the exhibitors and also families, who are presented with a huge choice and the opportunity of a family outing.”

We asked Mr Abela to clarify whether, as things stand, parts of the fair are being held on illegal parts of Montekristo. “Every area that we are using is covered by a permit as issued by the authorities. We do not wish to nit-pick about which parts are being used and which parts aren’t. The authorities are responsible people who shoulder responsibility, just like we are. We will do nothing to break the law and we will conform and bow our heads down to whatever the authorities say.”

Montekristo CEO Jean Paul Sammut added: “Everyone knows that Mr Polidano is following the instructions he was given (by the Planning Authority), that the tower is being pulled down and that the dismantling works as instructed by the authorities are being carried out.”