To this day, Carlo Stivala continues to profit from the illegal occupation of public land and the illegal structures he has erected on it, Graffitt said Thursday.
Two weeks ago, Carlo Stivala, took over the pavement and road outside his partially illegally built hotel in Sliema. Following intense public pressure, the illegal awning was removed. Yet the occupation of public space continued unabated and has, in fact, intensified, the NGO said in a statement.
Over the past two weeks, all we have heard from the authorities and the Minister are excuses and attempts to hide behind ineffective procedures to avoid taking action. These include enforcement and eviction orders issued by the Planning Authority and the Lands Authority. Both authorities have a dismal track record of allowing illegalities to persist indefinitely, particularly when those responsible are wealthy and powerful individuals, the statement added.
The reality on the ground is clear: Carlo Stivala's illegal occupation of public land continues, and he continues to profit from it with impunity. This is emblematic of much wider problems: the rampant occupation of public spaces by commercial establishments, whether legal or illegal, and the authorities' complete failure to enforce lands, planning and environmental laws.
It is deeply ironic that the Planning Minister is using legal procedures as an excuse for inaction when it is the Government itself that is responsible for putting these procedures in place. In April, when the Ġustizzja għal Artna campaign identified enforcement reform as one of four areas requiring urgent action, the Government responded with deafening silence.
The situation is unjust by design, as Government seeks to disempower the people, deprive them of their rights, and give all power to developers. So dire is the situation that a proven corrupt PA boss, Johann Buttigieg, who was caught red-handed conspiring with developers, was kept in place notwithstanding the overwhelming public evidence against him.
Over the years, residents and organisations have faced repeated and shameful stonewalling whenever they have sought information about the occupation of public spaces. Their concerns have been dismissed, their requests ignored, and their demands for basic respect treated with contempt.
Carlo Stivala's shameless illegality is simply rubbing salt into the wound.
If this illegal occupation is not brought to an immediate end, the people will have no choice but to defend what is rightfully theirs. Public land belongs to the public, not to developers who believe they can flout the law for their own profit while the authorities stand idly by, the NGO said.