The Housing Authority said Thursday it has decided to proceed with the termination of the contract with the contractor responsible for the construction of a new residential block in the Wied Ħesri area of Siġġiewi.

The residential block was at the centre of political controversy involving former housing minister Roderick Galdes before the MEP and local council elections of 2024. 

The project was due to be completed in July 2026. However, the Housing Authority had repeatedly drawn the contractor's attention to the lack of progress in the works and the failure to follow instructions from the architects and the project managers responsible for the project, Housing Projects Solutions Ltd. Claims for additional payments submitted by the contractor were also independently verified and were found not to be due.

The Housing Authority said it will continue to safeguard public funds and insist on accountability in the delivery of its projects. Contractors are required to honour the commitments they undertake and, where they fail to do so, the Authority will take action.

The Authority will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure that this project moves forward, with a commitment to delivering strong governance for quality housing, for the benefit of residents and the community.

In April 2024, it emerged that the official ID-card addresses of 99 people had been changed to a social-housing block in Siġġiewi, Binja Silvio Parnis, even though the building was not yet habitable. The changes meant that the individuals were officially registered as residents of Siġġiewi, although most were in fact living elsewhere.

Then minister Clint Camilleri and housing minister Roderick Galdes had dismissed the allegations as little more than a media spin.

However, a magistrate subsequently confirmed that the changes of address had been carried out irregularly and ordered the police to investigate, including identifying the public officials and entities responsible for manipulating voters into changing their registered addresses.

The magistrate said there could be "no doubt" that the voters concerned had not themselves taken the initiative to register at the specified address. More seriously, the court described it as "shameful" that they had been taken advantage of and manipulated by people entrusted with looking after their interests and wellbeing.

The controversy ultimately became part of the political backdrop to the local council election in Siġġiewi, where the Labour Party eventually lost control of the council to the Nationalist Party.