New Xewkija mayor distances herself from playing field snatcher

The new Labour Mayor of Xewkija, Simona Refalo, the daughter of Minister Anton Refalo, distanced herself from one of her father’s canvassers, Ronald Debrincat, who took over part of a public playing field and illegally annexed it to his property.

Debrincat, a teacher, is already facing a court case instituted by the Xewkija local council over the issue. Just a few weeks ago, the court ordered the Lands Authority, a regulatory body responsible for overseeing land use and ownership, to start proceedings against him.

Speaking to The Shift, Simona Refalo, reaffirmed the council’s unwavering stance against these illegal actions.

“If what you allege is true, that is that the (PA) application in question includes any irregular takeover of public land, then I cannot but in principle voice my objections since I can never condone such irregularities,” the young new mayor said.

The Shift asked Refalo to explain why her council, despite starting a court case against the Xewkija teacher, did not file an objection to Debrincat’s latest PA application to sanction the illegality.

Refalo told The Shift that while it was true that the previous council, headed by former Mayor Hubert Saliba, for some reason did not file an objection, she insisted that her newly elected council would not change its stance on the illegality.

The Shift is informed that after snatching part of the playing field and turning it into part of his home, the teacher filed PA02337/24 to sanction his illegalities.

To do this, Debrincat filed a false declaration through his architect, Cornelia Tabone, declaring that he owned the land, including the public property he annexed to his home.

The Planning Authority is supposed to reject such an application whenever a false declaration is made. So far, the Lands Authority, which the PA is obliged to consult in this application process, has not yet given its response.

The illegal public land grab was revealed by The Shift last June.

Debrincat, who lives adjacent to Ġnien Castelvenere in Xewkija, took over a playing field last summer and dismantled a swing and two public benches.

Heavy machinery appeared on the site, and a sizeable room was built at the back of his house, with a door opening onto the remainder of the playing field.

Last month, Gozo’s Administrative Review Tribunal ruled that the teacher had acted illegally and the Lands Authority was right to refuse his application.

The Court ruled that the public interest prevails and the authorities should start legal action against Debrincat to reverse the illegal situation.