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Julian Manduca
A large area of land owned by Francis Bezzina Wettinger and Mrs Marianna Sacco was ‘returned’ to its owners 27 years after its expropriation in 1976, but the owners cannot enjoy it because bird trappers and hunters continue to rule the roost.
For over a year, ever since a court of appeal decision on 10 October 2003, the owners have been waiting for the land at Qrendi in the vicinity of Hagar Qim to be vacated. This week the justice ministry told MaltaToday the trappers will be served with eviction notices during the first few months of this year.
The land is larger than 65 tumoli and was requisitioned in 1976 when the government earmarked it for the workers corps ‘Izra’ u Rabbi,’ one of the brainchilds of former premier Dom Mintoff. When the corps was disbanded the government offered agricultural leases to several people, many of whom are bird trappers.
Mr Bezzina Wettinger, who owns by far the larger share in the land, has suffered several expropriations of large pieces of land since the early sixties.
A spokesperson for minister Tonio Borg did not refer to those occupying the land as trappers: “Government has to take all necessary steps to reintegrate the owners in the possession of the land in question. This means that Government has to take action to have the land vacated by a number of tenants who had in the meantime been granted an agricultural lease over the same land.” The spokesperson indicated that the removal of the tenants may prove complicated: “In spite of the department’s efforts however the tenants have failed to move out. Some of them are also depositing rent in Court.”
The job is made even more difficult for government because now it has no title to the land and MaltaToday was told: “At this point the only way that Government can take back possession of the land so as to hand it back to its owners is by taking eviction proceedings against the occupants.
“Considering that Government presently has no form of title over the land the department is currently seeking legal advise as to how this could be best undertaken. It is planned that eviction proceedings will be undertaken within the first quarter of 2005.”
Mr Bezzina Wettinger told this newspaper the land used to include 91 carob trees which are protected by law, but that now most of them have since been cut down. The area does not fall in the area which is earmarked for a national heritage park.
julian@newsworksltd.com
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