Gaffarena seeks court warrant to force Old Mint Street sale

The property owner who made €1.65 million on a government compensation for the expropriation of his 50% ownership of an Old Mint Street building that houses government offices, demanded in court that he be sold another 25% of the same building.

In the writ filed against the Cefai family, Mark Gaffarena exhibited a promise-of-sale agreement to sell the property to him. But the defendants have now said they do not want to sign the contract.

Gaffarena asked the court for a warrant of prohibitory injunction to prevent the vendor from withdrawing from the agreement.

For the defendant, lawyer Tanya Sciberras Camilleri argued that this promise of sale agreement only happened a few months ago and expires in March 2016. Sources inform the MaltaToday that the price stipulated in the promise of sale agreement was around €390,000.

The defendants said that since news broke of Gaffarena’s handsome compensation for the expropriation of his properties, the plaintiff had demanded that they sign the contract.

“We do not think it is prudent to sign a contract at this time due to the investigations and what-not.”

The lawyer also said that there were doubts about the good faith in the proposed acquisition. “There is an internal investigation, two expropriations for 50% of the Old Mint Street property and last but not least, the fiscal issue of the true and fair value of the property.”

Judge J.R. Micallef said he will decide on the matter in camera.