The Fortina deal refers to a contentious agreement between the Maltese government, led by former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, and the Fortina Group, a company owned by the Zammit Tabona family, notorious donors to the Labour Party. The deal involved lifting restrictions on public land at the Fortina site in 2019, which the National Audit Office (NAO) later found to be highly favorable to the company. According to the NAO’s independent valuation, the waivers granted to Fortina were worth around €21 million, yet the company was charged only €8.1 million by the Lands Authority.
The payment terms were also deemed inequitable, with €1 million paid upfront and €7.1 million payable over 10 years without interest. The NAO’s report suggests that this deal was a result of deliberate actions by the government to undermine procedures and hand over public assets to favored companies. Keith Schembri, Muscat’s Chief of Staff, and Carlo Mifsud, former CEO of the Lands Authority, have been identified as prime suspects in a police report filed by Robert Aquilina and Jason Azzopardi on behalf of the Fondazione Falcone.
The scandal highlights the close ties between big business and political parties in Malta, with the Fortina family’s donations to the Labour Party raising questions about corruption and favoritism. The deal has also had negative consequences for nearby hotels and businesses, weakening their financial stability and creating an uneven economic playing field. Repubblika, a civil society movement, has called for immediate action from the police and Attorney General, emphasizing that Malta cannot move forward while those involved in corruption continue to enjoy impunity.
