The stories published in the media are only “the icing on the cake”, he said, and the problem is “more huge than one would expect”.

Government-owned land has been neglected for so long that the government does not even know the extent of the problem, Dr Herrera said.

He brought up this issue in Parliament during the discussion of the resolution on the transfer of government land to various groups and sports associations on Wednesday.

Dr Herrera explained how speculators can take over government land within 10 years.

“Speculators first build a boundary wall. After some time, a contract is signed to transfer the land to a company, which is usually owned by the speculator himself.

“In that contract, the speculator states that the land has been in his family for a long time. The sale will be made for a low price.

“The law states that if a legal title in a contract is not challenged within 10 years, the contract cannot be contested after the 10 years have elapsed. The speculator can then sell the land,” he said.

“If one analyses the Maltese landscape, one can see many buildings that were put up on government land,” Dr Herrera added.

He repeated the call he made in Parliament for an investigation by the Minister responsible for lands (Home Affairs and Justice Minister Tonio Borg).

A watchdog should be appointed to monitor transfers of land, Dr Herrera said.

The government should know which land it owns and those belonging to private individuals or entities he added.

Steps have been taken to improve the investigations before a deed for the transfer of land is made, but it is inconceivable that the government does not even know which property it owns, Dr Herrera told the House.