Damage to Malta parliament building not GHRC responsibility, says Gino Cauchi

The government entity responsible for the financing of the House of the Representatives building has blamed the parliamentary administration for damages incurred to the Renzo Piano structure.

The Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation (GHRC)’s chief executive officer Gino Cauchi told MaltaToday that it was the House of Representative’s responsibility to maintain the building.

The Speaker of the House, Anglu Farrugia, on Monday said the building had suffered rust, mould and leakages, and blamed the GHRC for other structural issues that were not due to lack of maintenance.

Following a press conference that highlighted severe damages to the new parliament building, the GHRC has insisted that the building – whose construction it had stewarded – was no longer its responsibility.

“Since the inauguration of the new Parliament Building in 2015, the responsibility to oversee that regular maintenance to the building and on all the systems are carried out was handed over to the House of Representatives,” Gino Cauchi said.

“The damage is not down to maintenance,” the Speaker of the House said on Monday, but Cauchi stopped short of providing an answer for the individual problems identified by Anglu Farrugia.

Cauchi said the GHRC was denying responsibility for the rust, mould and leakages plaguing the Piano-designed building in Valletta.

Farrugia also said that court cases had been initiated against the contractors responsible, but did not elaborate on the issue.

The GHRC paid the renowned architect €6.6 million for his work on the project. The €80 million project, which includes the Royal Theatre and City Gate entrance, was financed from government land leases at the Valletta cruise terminal and Malta airport.