A third of fines issued by the Planning Authority over the last decade still pending

Since 2010 the Planning Authority issued €18.2 million in fines of which €12.8 million have been paid

File Photo
File Photo

Only two-thirds of fines imposed by the Planning Authority over the last decade have been paid, information tabled in parliament shows.

Figures published in a reply to a parliamentary question by Nationalist MP Joseph Ellis showed the PA issued over €18.2 million in fines for development irregularities across Malta and Gozo over the last 10 years.

But only €12.8 million of these fines were paid.

2018 saw the largest number of fines being issued at €3.3 million, up from €2.5 million in 2017. 2015 and 2016 saw the PA issuing €1.5 and €1.9 million in fines.

In 2012, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority had overhauled its penalty system for illegal development, introducing daily fines starting from €2 going up to €50 per day.

With 2012 being the year with the lowest number of fines, at only €306,680, 2013 and 2014 registered substantial increases at €363,470 and €672,449 respectively.

Fines during the COVID-19 pandemic went down when compared to the previous years, with 2020 and 2021 registering €2.1 million and €2.2 million in fines.

The only year when the amount of fines paid (€316,140) was larger than the amount issued (€307,497) was in 2010.

2018 was the year with the highest amount of paid fines at €2.5 million.