Parliament votes to return Żonqor land to public, transfer AUM campus to Smart City

Parliament voted in favour of two motions to return Żonqor land to the public, and transfer the American University of Malta campus to Smart City.

With 38 votes in favour and 31 against, Parliament agreed to take back 45,000sq.m of land at Smart City, part of which will be leased out to the American University of Malta. The land swap also sees the Żonqor Point area, originally granted to AUM, returned back to the government.

The largest parcel of the Smart City land, covering more than 31,500sq.m will be leased to Sadeen Education for the construction of an AUM campus instead of the Żonqor site.

Prime Minster Robert Abela said the aim of the two motions was to preserve the natural environment of Marsaskala. He said that as soon as he became Prime Minister, he had expressed his desire for Żonqor to not be developed.

“It would not have made sense to have the Inwadar afforestation project next to a development on an ODZ area,” Abela said.

He said it was a fable that Sadeen group was carrying out a real estate project, “the scope of the project was, is and remains educative.”

Abela admitted that the AUM project did not have a perfect start.“This is a project that could have initiated better, however the substantial AUM investment regenerated a neglected historic building and the whole area.”

On the other hand, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said that the AUM project was and remains a shady deal.

“The Żonqor land should have never been taken away from the public and handed to speculators […] Why is the government still doing the bidding for Sadeen group. Is there a side agreement that we are not aware of?” Grech said.

He said that PN had the back of the people of the south and not the government, mentioning how Abela had pushed for a marina in Marsaskala, only to backtrack after public scrutiny.

PN MP Karol Aquilina claimed that former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri handed 3,022 sq.m of Żonqor land to Sadeen for free in a secret agreement.

He said that it was Muscat and Schembri that insisted with Sadeen that the Żonqor land was to be included in the American University deal, and not the Jordanian group.

Economy Minister Silvio Schembri rubbished Karol Aquilina's claims, saying that only one contract existed, and that no other side agreements applied.

“Aquilina tried to give the impression that there were secret agreements involved. What we are presenting today, is the only contract that exists,” Schembri said.

He said that by voting against the motion, PN was voting in favour of development in Żonqor by Sadeen Group.