Court turns down request to suspend Gaffarena expropriation case

The court also upheld a request by a number of individuals owning a share in the Valletta property that they be included as parties to the case

A judge has rejected a request by businessman Marco Gaffarena that it suspend proceedings in the case filed by the Prime Minister against Gaffarena and the Commissioner of Lands, asking for the revocation of the unusual €3.4 million expropriation deal of a third undivided share of a property in Old Mint Street, Valletta.

In February, Gaffarena's lawyer Keith Bonnici had requested the Commission for the Adminstration of Justice investigate the Attorney General Peter Grech, lawyer Victoria Buttigieg and lawyer Christian Falzon Scerri for an alleged breach of the Code of Ethics and Conduct for lawyers. Bonnici asked for the expropriation case to be suspended until the investigation is completed, if his complaint is upheld. 

However, presiding the First Hall of the Civil Court this morning, Madame Justice Anna Felice did not accept this complaint.

She also upheld a request which had been filed by lawyer Peter Caruana Galizia, on behalf of a number individuals who also own a share in the property, requesting that they be included as parties to the case. 

The court upheld the co-owners argument that, as the government had expropriated an undivided share of the property, the share expropriated could not be identified. They had not been involved in the expropriation and had requested that it be declared null.

The Commissioner for Lands - who is also being sued by the government - had accepted the request for their inclusion, but Gaffarena had objected. 

Lawyers Victoria Buttigieg and Chris Falzon Scerri are also representing the Office of the Attorney General. Lawyer Josianne Azzopardi appeared on behalf of the Commissioner for Lands.