Permanent Secretary’s Gozitan getaway full-up for Santa Marija

A private business venture set up by Ronald Mizzi, the former permanent secretary and right-hand man of disgraced minister Konrad Mizzi, is running at full throttle – with all the rooms at the Gozitan ‘relaxation getaway’ being booked for over €200 a night for the Santa Marija break.

Opened two years ago when Mizzi was still the Tourism Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ta’ Cnic Heritage Living in Zebbug is described by accommodation booking search engines as a luxurious spa tourism accommodation with breathtaking views of Gozo.

The host, who is also publicly advertised on the same search engines, is none other than the permanent secretary, now at the lands and economy ministry, who describes himself as “a 40-year-old Maltese graduate in International Relations and European Affairs with vast experience in public administration and tourism sector”.

Sources at the Tourism Ministry told The Shift that since Mizzi acquired the almost dilapidated vernacular building in Zebbug 2019, he has invested a lot of time and money coordinating contractors and suppliers to refurbish the property and turn it into a business venture.

Government officials speaking with The Shift raised concern over possible conflicts of interest and questioned the business venture’s source of funds given a permanent secretary’s income of under €50,000 a year.

According to real estate agents consulted by The Shift, the investment in the building’s restoration and finishing would have easily surpassed the €1 million mark.

Asked to comment on the investment, Mizzi, who is now permanent secretary at the Economy and Lands Ministry with Minister Silvio Schembri, downplayed the investment and described the Gozitan retreat as his “residence”.

While not divulging what was spent on the residence’s refurbishment and conversion into luxury spa tourism accommodation, he strongly denied anything improper.

“This is simply my home where I reside. I bought it by public deed, which anyone can obtain, and paid for most of it with a bank loan. I can assure you that everything was done legally and transparently,” Mizzi insisted when contacted.

“Sometimes, I let out the sub-basement of the house (1 bedroom) and a rooftop room (1 bedroom) through online booking platforms. I do not regard this as a side business but, in any case, the property has the necessary PA permits, and the lettings are licenced by the MTA. All permit applications followed the proper procedures.”

Research conducted by The Shift shows that the property, which also has a grotto, was purchased by Ronald Mizzi and senior Bank of Valletta employee Fiona Brinkworth in November 2019, just a few weeks before Minister Konrad Mizzi was forced out of cabinet over corruption allegations.

According to the deed published by notary Malcolm Mangion – the son of former Air Malta chairman Charles Mangion – the property was acquired for €520,000, with €468,000 of it having been paid through a Bank of Valletta loan taken out by Mizzi and Brinkworth.

The property was completely stripped and redone to a high standard, worth hundreds of thousands of euros, and it opened its doors for business in May 2021.

According to booking.com, a two-night stay at the permanent secretary’s Gozitan abode will set you back €688 in the rooftop ‘large suite with spa’ or €443 in the ‘maisonette’.

While Mizzi gave the impression that he only “sometimes” rents out two bedrooms of his residence, the online platform shows the business venture is almost always booked back-to-back, particularly in the summer months.

Asked to confirm whether he is allowed, as a permanent secretary, to have a business on the side and in the sector for which he was responsible, Mizzi did not reply.

Neither did he say whether he has informed Principal Permanent Secretary Tony Sultana about his private business interests, which he should be precluded from conducting.

The property was bought from a Gozitan family and Mizzi’s name does not feature on the permits. The only names that show are those of Simon Grech – a Gozitan property developer and contractor and recipient of numerous government direct orders in recent years – and one of the vendors.

Who is Ronald Mizzi?

Ronald Mizzi, originally from Zabbar, was headhunted by disgraced former minister Konrad Mizzi in 2014 at the age of 32 for the post of the ministry’s permanent secretary.

He was one of the most heavily involved senior civil servants in the Muscat-Mizzi-Schembri triumvirate’s shady deals including the multimillion-euro concession for three the running of state hospitals for Vitals Global Healthcare, the sale of the ITS site and the ElectroGas power station.

Ronald Mizzi is one of the main enablers in the shady deals involving the disgraced Muscat administration and has been also highlighted for his roles in various National Audit Office investigations.

After Konrad Mizzi’s forced resignation in 2019 and a change in Labour’s leadership, Prime Minister Robert Abela re-confirmed Ronald Mizzi as Permanent Secretary at the Tourism Ministry, where Clayton Bartolo was made politically responsible.

He was transferred after the 2022 elections to the post of Permanent Secretary at the Economy and Lands Ministry with Silvio Schembri.