Group vows to challenge abusive system, seeking legal advice
Moviment Graffitti is calling for an investigation into expropriations carried out by Infrastructure Malta after the roadworks agency was yet again caught trespassing onto a farmer’s land in Żabbar without having reached any agreement with the owner and without the consent of the Lands Authority.
“It is now clear that Infrastructure Malta is acting in breach of the applicable laws by entering citizens’ property without agreeing on expropriations. What happened in Zabbar is no different to what happened in Dingli, and countless other places in which IM simply entered farmers’ lands, knocked down walls, destroyed soil and crops, covered the area in tarmac and left without compensation.”
The group said that Infrastructure Malta was bound to follow the Lands Authority expropriation procedures, and valuations were to be made and decided upon by the latter. However, it emerges that in some cases IM never sent expropriation requests to the Lands Authority, leaving landowners without compensation.
In a statement, Moviment Graffitti referred to a recent interview given by Transport and Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg, who said that “he was informed” that IM had reached separate agreements with landowners “to speed up the process.”
However, the group warned that Infrastructure Malta was going round offering landowners an “agreement” which included a valuation of the land to be expropriated. “This piece of paper is worthless, since the law establishes that the land will be valued by the Lands Authority and its architects, not by Infrastructure Malta. Anyone signing this paper is giving Infrastructure Malta access to their land, but there is no guarantee this agency can honour the agreed valuations, because those fall under the Lands’ Authority remit.”
“Dr Borg should be wary of misleading the public about this agreement,” the group said. “It is not true that all landowners had signed such agreements. Dr Borg and Ing Azzopardi had initially refused to discuss expropriations with some Dingli landowners back in April, clearly unwilling to open what has now become a can of worms.”
Moviment Graffitti said it is getting legal advice and looking at potential legal action against the state’s roadbuilder and its CEO Fredrick Azzopardi, who is already facing a criminal case after ignoring an order from ERA to stop works in Wied Qirda, Zebbug, back in 2019.
“Dr Borg himself recently hinted in the media that ‘any party without a direct interest’ may take its case to the relevant authorities,” the group said. “Dr Borg claims he believes in the rule of law, and so do we. So for once we will take up his word. We are getting legal advice from our lawyers and we’ll seek to put an end to a corrupt system whereby the state, through its army of contractors, continues to steal arable land and destroy precious environmental resources to build useless roads without compensating the rightful owners.”
Moviment Graffitti also called on the Police Commissioner to ensure the corps are informed of the correct procedures to be followed by Infrastructure Malta with regards to expropriations.
“In Dingli and in Żabbar, law enforcement immediately sided with IM and took their word on everything. IM and their representatives lied to the police when they said they had all the necessary paperwork in hand. Police officers did not intervene to protect citizens and investigate the matter, but instead chose to believe IM without having seen a shred of paperwork. We believe the Police Commissioner is responsible for the upholding of the law, and that the corps have a duty to step in and protect the citizen from such bullying. Instead, we have seen Fredrick Azzopardi himself being escorted by the RIU earlier this year in Żebbug, despite the fact that there were no protests onsite. This Police cannot be seen to be protecting the bullies.”
The group is also asking the public to come forward with any information they may have about unpaid expropriations, and called on landowners who haven’t been compensated to contact the group via its Facebook page or by email on info@movimentgraffitti.org. All information will be treated with the strictest confidence.
Il-Moviment Graffitti jitlob investigazzjoni dwar l-esproprjazzjonijiet u fuq il-kap eżekuttiv ta’ Infrastructure Malta
Il-Grupp qed jieħu pariri legali u jwiegħed li se jisfida sistema ta’ abbużi
Il-Moviment Graffitti qed jitlob investigazzjoni fl-esproprijazzjonijiet li wettqet Infrastructure Malta wara li l-aġenzija għall-bini tat-toroq reġgħet inqabdet tidħol f’art ta’ bidwi f’Ħaż Żabbar mingħajr ma kellha ftehim mas-sid u mingħajr il-kunsens tal-Awtorità tal-Artijiet.
Jidher biċ-ċar li Infrastructure Malta qed taġixxi fi ksur tal-liġijiet rilevanti billi taqbad u tidħol fl-artijiet taċ-ċittadini mingħajr ma tiftiehem fuq l-esproprjazzjonijiet. Dak li ġara f’Ħaż Żabbar hu l-istess li ġara f’Ħad Dingli, u f’ħafna postijiet oħra fejn IM sempliċiment daħlet fl-artijiet tal-bdiewa, waqqgħet il-ħitan, ħarbtet il-ħamrija u l-ħxejjex, ksiet iż-żoni bit-tarmak u telqet mingħajr ma ħallset ebda kumpens.”
Il-grupp qal li Infrastructure Malta hija marbuta li ssegwi l-proċeduri tal-esproprjazzjoni kif stipulat mill-Awtorità tal-Artijiet, u l-valutazzjonijiet kellhom isiru u jiġu deċiżi minn din l-Awtorità. Madankollu, jidher li f’xi każijiet IM qatt ma bagħtet it-talbiet għall-esproprjazzjoni lill-Awtorità tal-Artijiet, u b’hekk is-sidien baqgħu mingħajr kumpens.
Fi stqarrija, il-Moviment Graffitti għamel referenza għal intervista li ta riċentament il-Ministru għat-Trasport u l-Infrastruttura, Dr Ian Borg, li qal li “kien infurmat” li IM laħqet ftehimiet separati mas-sidien tal-artijiet “bħala mod kif jgħaġġel il-proċess.”
Madankollu, il-grupp wissa li Infrastructure Malta kienet qed toffri karta bi “ftehim” li kienet tinkludi valutazzjoni tal-art li għandha tiġi esproprjata. “Din il-biċċa karta ma għandha ebda valur, peress li l-liġi tistabbilixxi li l-art għandha tiġi vvalutata mill-Awtorità tal-Artijiet u mill-periti tagħha, mhux minn Infrastructure Malta. Kulmin qed jiffirma din il-karta qed jagħti l-aċċess lil IM sabiex tidħol fl-art tagħhom, iżda ma hemm ebda garanzija li din l-aġenzija tista’ tonora l-valutazzjonijiet miftiehma, peress li dawn huma responsabbiltà tal-Awtorità tal-Artijiet.”
“Dr Borg għandu jieqaf milli jiżvija lill-pubbliku dwar dan il-ftehim,” qal il-grupp. “Mhux veru li s-sidien kollha ffirmaw dan il-ftehim. Infakkru li Dr Borg u l-Ing Azzopardi kienu rrifjutaw l-ewwel laqgħa biex jiġu diskussi l-esproprjazzjonijiet ma’ xi sidien minn Ħad Dingli f’April li għadda, għax beżgħu li tinfetaħ dik li issa hija kaxxa ta’ Pandora.”
Il-Moviment Graffitti qal li qed jieħu parir legali u qed jistudja l-possibilità li jieħu azzjoni legali kontra l-aġenzija għall-bini tat-toroq u l-Kap Eżekuttiv Fredrick Azzopardi, li diġà qed jiġi investigat kriminalment minħabba li injora ordni mill-ERA u baqa’ għaddej bix-xogħlijiet f’Wied Qirda, f’Ħaż Żebbuġ, fl-2019.
“Dr Borg stess fil-midja stqarr li ‘kwalunkwe parti mingħajr interess dirett’ tista’ tressaq il-każ tagħha quddiem l-awtoritajiet kompetenti,” qal il-grupp. “Hu jgħid li jemmen fl-istat tad-dritt, u anke aħna. Għal darba, se nsegwu l-kelma tiegħu u qed nieħdu parir legali mill-avukati tagħna. Se nagħmlu mezz li nwaqqfu darba għal dejjem din is-sistema korrotta li permezz tagħha, l-istat, permezz tal-armata ta’ kuntratturi tiegħu, ikompli jisraq l-art agrikola u jkisser riżorsi ambjentali prezzjużi sabiex jibni toroq mhux meħtieġa mingħajr ma jagħti kumpens lis-sidien.”
Il-Moviment Graffitti talab ukoll lill-Kummissarju tal-Pulizija sabiex jiżgura li l-membri tal-Korp ikunu infurmati bil-proċeduri li għandhom jiġu segwiti minn IM fir-rigward tal-esproprjazzjonijiet.
“F’Ħad Dingli u f’Ħaż Żabbar, il-Pulizija immedjatament ħadet il-parti ta’ IM u emmnithom fuq kull punt. IM u r-rappreżentanti tagħhom gidbu lill-Pulizija meta qalu li kellhom il-karti kollha f’idejhom. Il-Pulizija ma għamlet ebda intervent biex tipproteġi liċ-ċittadini u tinvestiga l-kwistjoni, iżda minflok għażlet li temmen lil IM mingħajr ma rat ebda karta. Nemmnu li l-Kummissarju tal-Pulizija huwa responsabbli miż-żamma tal-liġijiet, u li l-Pulizija għandhom id-dmir jintervjenu sabiex jipproteġu liċ-ċittadini minn dan il-bullying. Minflok, rajna lil Fredrick Azzopardi nnifsu jiġi skortat mill-RIU iżjed kmieni din is-sena minkejja li ma kien hemm ebda protesta. Il-Pulizija ma tistax tibqa’ tidher li qed tipproteġi lill-bullies.”
Il-grupp qed itenni t-talba tiegħu lill-pubbliku sabiex javviċinah bi kwalunkwe informazzjoni li jista’ jkollhom dwar l-esproprjazzjonijiet mhux imħallsa, u jitlob lis-sidien li ma rċevewx kumpens sabiex jikkuntattjaw lill-grupp permezz tal-paġna ta’ Facebook jew permezz ta’ email fuq info@movimentgraffitti.org. L-informazzjoni kollha se tiġi ttrattata bl-iżjed mod kunfidenzjali.
