Last week, a court ruled that the owners of a property in Birzebbugia that had been taken away from them to accommodate a Labour Party club were to receive nearly €1 million in damages for being deprived of the full enjoyment of what belonged to them.

The property in question, overlooking Pretty Bay, was placed under a requisition order by the Labour government in 1979, and had faced an all-or-nothing deal which ultimately led to the premises being turned into a club run by the Labour Party.

A constitutional case was filed in 2018, with the owners claiming that their fundamental rights were being breached. The First Hall of the Civil Court, president by Mr Justice Ian Spiteri Bailey, ruled last week that the owners were to be given nearly €1 million in compensation, to be paid for by the State Advocate and the Housing Authority, who were the respondents in the case.

The Nationalist Party was quick to say that the damages should not be paid for by the government and that the compensation should be paid by the Labour Party.

It is unacceptable that the PL, then in government, had “stolen private property” and make it its own for 40 years, the PN said.

It should now not “steal” again, using government money to pay the party’s dues. It should therefore be the party, not the government, to fork out the compensation, the PN said.

In similar vein, the NGO Repubblika, said the compensation should be paid either by the person who committed the abuse or the PL, which enjoyed the place in a prominent part of the seaside town for 42 years.

The Labour Party is usually very quick with its answers, but in this case it has remained conspicuously silent. This does not really bode well. One wonders what is being concocted behind the scenes.

But the PN and Repubblika are right to insist that it should not be the government – for which read taxpayers – to pay the damages due. It would be an affront to the people, as this would mean that the government would be using public money to pay fines incurred by the Labour Party.

Unfortunately, we have seen it many times in the last 10 years that Labour confounded the lines that should separate the party from the government. The distinction that should exist between what is governmental and what belongs to the party has often been ignored, and this is perhaps what prompted the PN and the NGO to speak up immediately about the matter.

It is the party that made use of the Birzebbuga premises, not the government. This is clear from the fact that, when the Nationalist Party was elected to government for the years 1987-1996 and 1998-2003, the Labour Party continued to use the property in Birzebbuga as its club.

It is therefore the PL, as a party, that must pay up.