Environmental NGOs deny claims they receive funds from businesses to harm competitors

Several leading environmental NGOs have rejected claims made by developer Michael Stivala that activists accept money from businesses to campaign against competitors.

They condemned what they described as Stivala’s “outrageous claims” and challenged him to substantiate them or retract them.

Stivala, who heads the Malta Developers Association, alleged in an interview with the Times of Malta that eNGOs accept money from businesses to carry out campaigns and file court cases to harm their competitors. He added that this is done by “almost all NGOs” and “almost all the time”.

Stivala said he did not have any proof to back up his statement.

“We reject these serious allegations and clearly state that we do not engage in such practices. We challenge Mr Stivala to substantiate these outrageous claims or else expect him to immediately retract his statements,” the NGOs said.

The Ramblers' Association, Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar, Birdlife Malta, Friends of the Earth, Nature Trust, Din L-Art Helwa and Moviment Graffitti signed the statement.