Abela rakes in thousands but makes no mention of Russian rent in tax statement

Prime Minister Robert Abela’s tax statement makes no mention of rent earned by lending his Żejtun ODZ villa address to two Russian passport applicants. 

Tax statements obtained by MaltaToday show Robert Abela earning hundreds of thousands from his legal profession between 2017 and 2019, apart from his yearly salary working as an MP. However, Abela makes no reference to any rental income earned from his Żejtun property.  

Robert Abela declared no rental income in 2017, only submitting his MP and Carsma salaries together with his legal profession earnings. Lydia Abela, wife to the Prime Minister and a partner in his law firm, declared nearly €150,000 in 2017.

Abela’s firm was previously an accredited agent for the Individual Investor Programme, Malta’s scheme for the sale of passports to the global elite. 

Robert Abela confirmed last week that he rented out his Żejtun villa to a prospective passport buyer from Russia. He stated that the rental agreement was signed before he became Prime Minister, but could not specify when the contract was terminated.  

Abela is not legally required to declare such rental income if the contract was originally declared with the tax authorities and if he paid a 15% tax on all the income made.  

Abela earned a whopping €227,254 in the year before he became Prime Minister.

His last tax statement as an MP showed that he earned €352,672 through his legal profession, while claiming €125,418. His net profit for 2020 was €227,254, while his MP honoraria saw him earn €25,031. 

Parliamentary declarations tabled in April 2020 showed that Abela held €531,000 in his BOV accounts.  

In his 2018 declaration Abela reported earning income from his Casma Ltd chairmanship. Casma is a government company responsible for managing property on behalf of government. Abela was granted the chairmanship by former prime minister Joseph Muscat. 

MaltaToday had revealed that Robert Abela acquired his Żejtun villa only three months after it was regularised by the Planning Authority and freed from restrictions for its sale. Abela was the PA’s chief lawyer at the time, raising questions as to whether Abela could have used his position to secure the sanctions.  

The villa has been mired in controversy since then. Apart from questions on his position, property experts were quick to point out that Abela secured the villa for a bargain price. The 2,200sqm estate was bought by Abela for €600,000, with the contract certifying the sale signed on 10 July, 2017. 

An exercise conducted by MaltaToday last year showed Robert Abela to be among the top earners in parliament, with net assets worth €331,337. He owns two other properties apart from his Żejtun villa, including a property in Xewkija and an apartment in Marsaskala. 

Abela also holds ordinary shares in HSBC Bank Malta, unsecured bonds in Hili Properties, and Malta Government Stock. His wealth is spread across five bank accounts, with the bulk held in two BOV accounts. 

It was further revealed this year that Robert Abela’s law firm benefitted from a €17,000 per month retainer contract from the Planning Authority, apart from thousands of euro received through direct orders. 

His firm earned €123,000 in direct orders from the PA, the €17,000 per month, and legal consultancies from ARMS, Air Malta, and the Environment Ministry.  

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