Graffitti slam Corinthia deal as another land grab

The proposed Corinthia deal is “intrinsically wrong” because it would give away public land at a pittance for real estate development, Graffitti said.

The pressure group is opposed to the agreement that will allow the Corinthia Group to develop a real estate project on land originally given to the company for tourism-related development.

“The proposed deal… would give away public land, a rare and precious resource in a small country like Malta, for a pittance; and this land will be used for a monstrous project that will have a disastrous impact on people and the environment,” Graffitti said on Monday morning.

READ ALSO: Corinthia project will replace hotels with 12 tower blocks

The deal covers land the company already owns in St George’s Bay and which is currently occupied by three hotels. Corinthia want to transform the Corinthia San Gorg hotel into a six-star tourist facility but also develop some 500 luxury apartments on the site. The deal requires parliamentary approval.

Graffitti said the company would be raking in hundreds of millions of euros from the sale of luxury apartments on land they would have gotten “practically for free”.

“This is a blatant case of land theft by big business from the people. It is the epitome of greed and injustice, especially when taken in the current Maltese context of many people facing hardships with buying or renting a home,” Graffitti said.

The activist organisation called on all social forces to oppose the proposed Corinthia deal. “We cannot allow the very few to steal our country and ruin our future without giving them a fight,” Graffitti said.