Opposition Leader Alfred Sant yesterday called on Police Commissioner John Rizzo to investigate the planning application for the Mistra development.

This was, in the words of Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi a “u-turn” and the first time in this legislature that Dr Sant had referred an allegation of corruption to the police commissioner.

Addressing journalists following a 10-minute meeting with Commissioner Rizzo at the police headquarters, Dr Sant said he (the police commissioner) had also received a letter from Prime Minister Gonzi, calling on him to investigate the planning application.

Replying to journalists’ questions, Dr Sant said it was strange that Dr Gonzi had announced that he had called on the auditor of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (Mepa) to investigate, but not that he had also made the same request to the police commissioner. “Politically, there’s something fishy in this,” he said.

Dr Sant said that from the documents in the dossier attached to the request made to the police commissioner, it turned out that De Rohan Antiques Limited, owned by Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, had acquired a stretch of land in Mistra measuring 2,182 square metres.

In his written request made to the police commissioner, Dr Sant said a writ dated 12 February 1999 and signed by notary Herbert Cassar bore evidence to the acquisition of the land, which was considered to be located in a “green” area.

Due to the ecological sensitivity of the site, Mepa refused two applications for the construction of a reservoir for agricultural purposes (in February and June 1999 respectively).

The planning application for the development of a 2,000-square metre night club for 4,000 people was submitted in October 2005, said Dr Sant.

The Mepa directorate objected to the application due to the fact that the land was Outside Development Zones and scheduled as a site of ecological and scientific importance.

The site was also acknowledged by the EU as a Natura 2000 site, said the Labour leader, adding that the site is also located in the vicinity of fields where organic agricultural products are cultivated.

The directorate objected to the application since illegal development had already taken place on the site, said Dr Sant, adding that the permit could not be issued due to Mepa policies themselves.

Mepa’s Development Control Commission (DCC) board, had still issued a permit for the development of the night club with the capacity to hold 4,000 people in November 2007, said Dr Sant.

In December 2007, another application was submitted for the club to be double the size, taking in double the amount of people.

The Labour leader said that even though it was obliged to do so, the board did not give reasons, as to why it had acted against the directorate’s recommendation.

He added that public declarations made by Dr Pullicino Orlando gave prima facie evidence that he had information regarding the application process and this had not, to date, been made public.

“The inexplicable manner by means of which the permit was issued – despite the objections and Dr Pullicino Orlando’s public and influential position – give a strong indication of inappropriate influence and/or corruption and criminal behaviour,” said Dr Sant’s request to the police commissioner.

He said this led to total disregard of Mepa’s policies and the Mepa Directorate’s recommendation, in breach of articles in the Civil Code, which he listed in his request to Commissioner Rizzo.

In the concluding paragraph of his request, Dr Sant said these clues call for a serious investigation of the whole process leading to the granting of the permit.

Asked whether he had provided the police commissioner with copies of all the dossiers on the planned Mistra development, Dr Sant replied in the negative, saying his informants would not have been protected since the government had not yet introduced the Whistleblower Act.

Meanwhile, in a statement, the Prime Minister expressed his satisfaction at the Opposition Leader’s “u-turn” as to the way investigations should take place in a civilised country.

This was the first time in this legislature that Dr Sant had referred an allegation of corruption to the police commissioner, said Dr Gonzi.

“This is what everyone expects, especially from someone occupying a public position like the Opposition Leader. Whoever has any proof of alleged abuse is obliged to pass on this information for investigation. In this way, both offenders and those who are not guilty would get what they deserve,” said Dr Gonzi.

He expressed his disappointment that the opposition had been going on with its mudslinging campaign for years, without ever referring any allegations to the police.

By means of this campaign over the past years and especially over the past months, the Opposition Leader and the Labour Party had hindered, rather than helped the government to act against every form of abuse in the public administration.

“It seems that the Opposition Leader has no regrets, even when dealing with such a serious matter, because it is again doing what it had done before the 1996 election.”

The Prime Minister condemned the opposition’s attempts to assume the role of investigator and prosecutor, while at the same time referring to the police commissioner as a “smokescreen” (paraventu).

Concluding, the Prime Minister again expressed his full trust in the police commissioner who carries out serious investigations in a civilized country.