[WATCH] Siggiewi council to seek court action as Muscat accuses PN of ‘political vengeance’

Muscat accuses PN of ‘political vengeance’

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has accused the Nationalist Party of “political vengeance” over a Siggiewi property rented by the local council.

In a meeting held yesterday, the Siggiewi local council agreed to pursue legal recourse over the ownership of the locality’s civic centre.

The property in question is rented by the council, from the government, and includes No. 20, a building used by the Labour Party as a party club for the past five years. The property has been rented by the local council since 1994.

Mayor Karol Aquilina said that the council would be taking steps to recoup the building from the Labour Party and denounced the govenrment’s ‘secretive and abusive’ issuance of an encroachment permit, which allows the party to continue using the property.

Pressed by journalists, Muscat however claimed the issue was down to “a vindictive act” by the PN.

“The premises occupied by the Labour party were offered by the previous administration. The PL had signed an agreement with the then Nationalist government, agreeing to move into a smaller site.

“As a government, we simply extended the contract signed by the previous government and increased the lease being paid to reflect the COLA.”

Muscat added that PL had “settled for a much smaller place” and the PN now wanted to evict Labour from there as well even though the locality already had its civic centre.

The civic centre is currently in the second phase of a renovation project, which will eventually include a public library, a teaching space, a resource centre and a night shelter for the elderly.

Aquilina said that this project was part of the council’s electoral manifesto in April and the majority of Siggiewi residents had voted in favour of it.

PN local councillors – Karol Aquilina, Alessia Psaila Zammit, Julian Bord and Gillian Farrugia Pace – voted in favour of the decision to take legal action, while PL councillors Dominic Grech and Nicholas Cassar voted against. PL councillor Clayton Cutajar was absent.

The approved resolution can be accessed here: goo.gl/Oypjeu