A group of Gozitans facing threats from ruthless speculators greeted Archbishop Charles Scicluna with protests after he appeared in court in Gozo to testify about his role in the land grab that has badly affected hundreds of residents and farmers in Gozo.

The archbishop testified in a case in which a family has battled in court for the past four years against an attempt to evict them from their home that their ancestors built on land held by the family for 130 years.

The land is part of a larger area that was placed in a medieval foundation whose point was to raise money for pious deeds. The foundress of the foundation, Cosmana Navarra, put decisive power in the hands of the archbishop: the power to appoint (and, legal experts say, dismiss) the administrative rector, and the power to consent to or veto any land transfer proposed by the rector.

But in contracts signed in 2017 and 2018, Archbishop Scicluna “renounced” his right to consent to land transfers, and appointed the lawyer Patrick Valentino as rector, despite the fact that Valentino did not qualify to be rector in the specific terms imposed by Cosmana Navarra. In the contracts, the archdiocese and archbishop also accepted the Stagno Navarra family’s claim of descent from Cosmana Navarra without asking to see any evidence or making any verifications of their claim.

Valentino then began to transfer developable lands to companies of the Stagno Navarras’ and others close to him – most developable land was transferred to a company in which the shareholders are the Stagno Navarras, the lawyer Carmelo Galea, and a company of the Montebellos’, including his partner and magistrate Rachel Montebello. These companies have now been selling this land to developers to build into flats, and making millions, such as the massive project being built in Qala by developer Joseph Portelli.

Farmers are also starting to give up on their lands due to the medieval foundation, now controlled by Valentino, increasing the prices of their leases.

Valentino even transferred the land on which the family battling eviction have their house. The land has been transferred to a company called Dei Conti Holdings, which belongs to the Stagno Navarras. This means that Valentino has already transferred the land subject to the court dispute even before the court decides on the case – this shows an element of arrogance and insensitivity.

The protesters – many of whom are facing similar threats – gathered outside the court to express their solidarity and support for the family facing eviction, and to show their anger and disappointment in the archbishop, whose renunciation of obligations or faculties imposed on him in the contract of foundation has contributed to suffering and environmental destruction in Gozo.

Grupp ta’ Għawdxin li qegħdin jiffaċċjaw it-theddid bla ħniena tal-ispekulaturi nġabru  quddiem il-qorti ta’ Għawdex biex jipprotestaw quddiem l-Arċisqof Charles Scicluna hekk kif xehed dwar ir-rwol tiegħu fit-teħid tal-art li laqtet ħażin lil mijiet ta’ residenti u bdiewa ta’ Għawdex.

L-arċisqof xehed fil-kawża ta’ familja li ilha erba’ snin tiġġieled l-attentat li titkeċċa minn darha fuq art li ilha tal-familja 130 sena.

L-art hija parti minn żona ikbar li taqa’ taħt fondazzjoni medjevali li kienet tiġbor il-flus għall-opri reliġjużi. Il-fundatriċi Cosmana Navarra kienet tat is-setgħa aħħarija tal-fondazzjoni lill-arċisqof. Dan ifisser is-setgħa li jaħtar (u skont esperti legali anki jkeċċi) lir-rettur amministrattiv u s-setgħa li jilqa’ jew ma jilqax kwalunkwe trasferiment tal-art li jipproponi r-rettur.

F’kuntratti li daħlu fis-seħħ fl-2017 u l-2018, l-arċisqof Scicluna “irrinunzja” d-dritt tiegħu li jagħti kunsens għat-trasferiment tal-art u ħatar bħala rettur lill-avukat Patrick Valentino, minkejja li dan, skont it-termini speċifiċi ta’ Cosmana Navarra, ma jikkwalifikax għall-ħatra. Skont il-kuntratti, l-arċidjoċesi u l-arċisqof jilqgħu ukoll it-talba tal-membri tal-familja Stagno Navarra li jitqiesu d-dixxendenti ta’ Cosmana Navarra mingħajr provi jew verifika ta’ din it-talba.

Il-bdiew qegħdin ukoll jibdew iħallu l-artijiet li jaħdmu wara li l-fondazzjoni medjevali, issa taħt il-kontroll ta’ Valentino, bdiet tgħolli l-prezz tal-kirja.

Minn hemm, Valentino beda għaddej bit-trasferiment ta’ art li tista’ tiġi żviluppata lill-kumpaniji tal-familja Stagno Navarra u oħrajn qrib tiegħu. Il-biċċa l-kbira tal-art għall-iżvilupp ingħatat lil kumpanija fejn l-azzjonisti huma l-istess membri tal-familja Stagno Navarra, l-avukat Carmelo Galea, u kumpanija tal-familja Montebello, inkluż il-maġistrat Rachel Montebello, li hija s-sieħba tal-avukat u r-rettur Valentino.

Valentino approva saħansitra t-trasferiment tal-art fejn hemm id-dar tal-familja li għaddejja bil-kawża kontra l-iżgumbrament. L-art ingħatat lill-kumpanija Dei Conti Holdings tal-familja Stagno Navarra. Valentino b’hekk wettaq trasferiment ta’ art soġġetta għal kawża qabel id-digriet tal-qorti fuq l-istess kawża, mossa arroganti u insensittiva.

In-nies li nġabru quddiem il-qorti biex jipprotestaw qegħdin jiffaċċjaw theddid simili u ngħaqdu biex jesprimu s-solidarjetà u l-appoġġ tagħhom għall-familja li qegħda tiffaċċja l-iżgumbrament u biex juru r-rabja u d-diżappunt tagħhom għall-arċisqof u r-rinunzja tiegħu mil-obbligi tal-kuntratt tal-fondazzjoni li wasslu għat-tbatija ta’ ħafna u l-qerda ta’ iktar ambjent f’Għawdex.