Ian Borg denies exploiting mentally-ill man, to institute legal action

Junior minister Ian Borg has this morning “categorically denied” allegations that he may have purchased property from a person of unsound mind, arguing that he would be “definitely initiating legal proceedings against those making such serious allegations.”

On Sunday, the Malta Independent on Sunday claimed that a Dingli family is considering taking legal action in a bid to reverse the sale of a property to Borg after the family learned that their mentally ill and vulnerable father “had been duped into selling the Cabinet member a piece for a suspiciously low price and under dubious circumstances.”

Entitled ‘Family incensed as PS buys land from mentally-ill father’, the report further states that the property was sold for just €10,000 and without his family’s knowledge.

In a statement, Borg, the parliamentary secretary for EU funds and the former Dingli mayor, took umbrage at the report, arguing that this was purely a private matter and internal conflicts amongst family members should not be used in any way to tarnish the reputation of someone who is a total stranger to such disagreements and to the family itself, merely on the basis of being a public figure.

“The property in question is a field measuring almost half a tumolo which is detached from other properties owned by Dr. Borg.  In this particular case, the seller had acquired the said property back in 2009 whereby it was valued at €1,000.  He then sold that to Dr. Borg in 2014 for €11,700,” the statement said.

“Apart from that, the same person – together with his siblings and his mother - had sold another property to Dr. Borg – and hence he had entered into two other separate contracts before as well as following this particular transaction, together with other 17 members of his family.”