The government seems to have cancelled the tender it issued for the planned restoration of Selmun Palce in Mellieha, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana said.

PN MP Graziella Galea asked the Minister whether the Department of Contracts had been involved in issuing tenders for the restoration of Selmun Palace and, if so, at what stage the tender had reached.

In his reply, Caruana said the Department of Contracts' role was to oversee the process "from start to adjudication" and then added plainly that it "appears" that the tender in question was cancelled.

The confirmation brings an abrupt halt to plans announced at the beginning of January 2024, when the Finance Ministry issued a tender worth €575,255 for the restoration of the historic palace in Mellieħa.

According to the original tender notice, the project would have included the restoration of the building's external fabric, removal of cement tiles from the roof, installation of a new water catchment system and new external lighting around the palace.

In October this year, the government had said that it will issue a public call next year for the development of Selmun Palace and the nearby Fort Campbell. This was before it was announced that Fort Campbell would become restored as a public space.

Selmun Palace, an 18th-century landmark built by the Knights of the Order of St John, has long been earmarked for restoration, with previous governments repeatedly pledging to rehabilitate the site for cultural and community use.