'Taxpayers To Pay For Government Ta' Qali Fiasco', Says Partit Momentum

Momentum issued a statement in regards to the latest revelation that the government has hired a landscaping expert at a cost of up to €9,000, saying this confirms long held concerns about how major decisions affecting Ta’ Qali were taken.

According to the party, these decisions were made without proper expertise, without due diligence and without accountability.

During a parliamentary sitting on the 27th of February, Minister Chris Bonett responded to a question by PN MP Rebekah Borg saying that Joe Schembri, who has over 20 years of experience of greening projects, is the expert working with the Ministry in regards to Ta’ Qali.

Momentum described the situation as yet another serious failure of governance, arguing that public funds were spent without adequate checks and balances.

Only after public outrage did the government seek professional advice, leaving taxpayers to shoulder additional costs, Momentum said.

The party pointed out that €311,000 had already been spent on works that failed, followed by further expenditure on expert advice and thousands of euros paid to the CEO.

Momentum stressed that this CEO breached basic principles of good governance by issuing illegal direct orders and proceeding without the necessary environmental studies and permits.

Momentum leader Professor Arnold Cassola said, “In any serious administration, the cost of correcting mistakes should not be borne by the public while those responsible face no consequences. Good governance requires accountability, not political forgiveness, while the public still awaits a clear apology.”

Cassola added, “The question is no longer whether mistakes were made. The question is who authorised the works, who approved the direct order, who decided that no permits were required, and why was no expert advice documented beforehand.”

Momentum said that those responsible for the wrong decisions should be held accountable, including covering the cost of corrective expert advice.

The party also reiterated its call for an end to the routine misuse of direct orders and criticised the Ministry of Transport for refusing to reply to a Freedom of Information request submitted last year.

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