From Mr R. Cachia Caruana

The article entitled “FAA: Court case not decided yet” (TMIS, 27 May) is, to borrow a phrase used in the article itself, “completely incorrect” in giving the impression that the Maltese courts have not pronounced themselves on the building areas rationalisation exercise.

The article is based on one particular pending court case and implies that my reference – during a meeting of Parliament’s European and Foreign Affairs Committee – to a decision of the Maltese courts on the building areas rationalisation exercise was wrong given that this particular case is still at its initial stages.

I was, however, referring to the detailed decision on the rationalisation exercise given on 14 February 2007 by the First Hall of the Civil Court following a request by Dr Harry Vassallo and others for the issue of a warrant of prohibitory injunction to stop the implementation of the rationalisation exercise.

My statement to Parliament’s European and Foreign Affairs Committee was to the effect that the issue had been heard in the Maltese courts which had found in favour of the government is factually correct and I stand by it.

Richard Cachia Caruana,

Permanent Representative

of Malta to the EU