Farmer in all-out war against Gudja band clubs, priest and MP

Two Gudja band clubs, a parish priest and an MP have hit back at claims that they prevented a farmer from tilling a field in Gudja

Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi
Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi

Two Gudja band clubs, a parish priest and an MP have hit back at claims that they prevented a farmer from tilling a field in Gudja, saying he had falsely told the Government Property Department that he was a full-time farmer whilst working as a full-time electrician at the Mediterranean Conference Centre.

In a counter-protest filed against the complainant, Dennis Catania, the La Stella Philharmonic Society, the Gudja Maria Assunta 1919 Musical Group, Parish Priest Martin Cardona and Shadow Minister for Lands Jason Azzopardi (left)  claimed that the initial claims included a number of “inaccuracies”.

In the original judicial protest, Catania claims to have worked the four-tumoli field for many years, but when the owner of the field passed away, the La Stella Philharmonic Society inherited the land. He claims that after the landowner died, illegal and abusive attempts to transfer the emphyteusis to the philharmonic society had been made, which included attempts to transfer the field to a priest by encroachment, without the priest’s knowledge.

Although Catania had won a call for tenders to farm the field, attempts were made to exclude him from the tendering process, necessitating a visit to the Ombudsman.

The defendants filed a counter protest, saying that, contrary to what he claimed in the initial protest, Dennis Catania had actually been employed as a full-time electrician with the Mediterranean Conference Centre and had been abroad since January this year.

An emphyteusis of government-owned land cannot be inherited, but only returned to government ownership upon the death of the emphyteuta, they point out.

Jason Azzopardi, a former lands minister before 2013, objected to being included among the original defendants in the original protest filed by Catania, saying this amounted to undue pressure on him in the course of his duties as an MP and pointing out that in 2013, Catania had been convicted of attempting to influence the MP “because of his baseless pretentions over this field in Gudia.”

“The Hon. Jason Azzopardi wishes to make it clear to Catania that nothing and nobody is going to stop him from making his voice heard or defend the legitimate and genuine interests of Gudja’s residents and civil society,” according to the counter protest, which called on Catania to stop making the false claims and requested that he be held personally responsible for any damages caused as a result of the false claims.