PA Executive Council member operating unlicensed B&B in Dingli

Planning Authority executive council member Godwin Agius has turned a five-storey residential dwelling in Dingli into a luxury bed and breakfast and is currently operating it without a licence.

The PA’s executive council is the most influential decision-making body in the permit authority.

Investigations by The Shift found that in 2021 Agius applied for a permit, through his wife Katrine, to demolish an old one-storey residence in Triq San Pawl tal-Pitkali in Dingli and build a five-storey pencil development in the village’s residential area.

According to application PA05403/21, Katrine Agius and her husband, the architect of the development, declared that the new building would be residential.

One year later, through application PA02039/22, Agius was replaced as architect on the development by Gilbert Bartolo, brother of former tourism minister Clayton Bartolo.

The finished residence is now a tourism development called ‘Number 33 BNB’, described by owners Katrine and Godwin Agius as a luxury B&B that is “carefully curated to offer the perfect blend of comfort, elegance and natural beauty.”

According to social media adverts placed by the owners and booking.com, the B&B is fully operational.

The Shift made a reservation using the booking.com portal, which showed a charge of €155 for a two-night stay this weekend.

A permit and licence from the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) — at the time under former minister Bartolo — are necessary for a residence to be turned into a tourism business venture. The accommodation does not appear on the MTA’s Public List of Active License Holders.

When asked whether the B&B is operating without a licence, a spokesman for the MTA confirmed that no licence has been issued. Informally, MTA sources said Agius has applied for a licence, but this is still being considered. No reply was given when asked whether the MTA is acting against the unlicensed hotel.

Agius confirmed through his lawyer Arthur Azzopardi that the B&B is his but denied that he is operating it without a licence.

“The premises are not a hotel and are duly licensed according to law,” Azzopardi insisted.

Contradicting both the MTA and his client’s wife’s social media ads, he said: “You are also factually incorrect when stating that my client and his wife are running a B&B, since operations until today have not commenced.”

At the time of writing, Katrine Agius was allowing guests to book accommodations at Number 33 on the booking.com portal.

Architect silent on connections to Minister Clint Camilleri

The Shift has revealed strong verifiable links between Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri and Godwin Agius, raising questions about a €722,000 direct order issued by the Gozo Ministry for works related to a multi-million euro road building project in Nadur.

Research showed that the recipient of the Gozo Ministry’s direct order operated his private practice from an office in Nadur owned by Minister Camilleri’s mother.

The office was formerly used by Camilleri when he practised as an architect before entering politics. The minister is listed on the Electoral Register as residing at the same address now occupied by Godwin Agius’s office.

Minister Camilleri could not explain these coincidences. He denied having business connections with Agius and insisted that the direct order followed public procurement rules. Agius declined to clarify his position.

Camilleri is facing a request for a magisterial inquiry into the rebuilding of the road connecting Nadur to Għajnsielem. The project was initially meant to cost some €10 million but has reached almost €20 million.

Agius was the main architect representing the ministry on this project and had to certify all works carried out, including variations and extra payments made.

Apart from having a full-time job as executive director at Engineering Resources Ltd, with a financial package of €120,000 per year, Agius is also a member of the PA’s Executive Council, the Chair of Interconnect Malta, the Chair of the Building and Construction Authority’s masons and licensing board, and a senior manager at the Gozo Regional Development Agency (GRDA).

He is also on a €150,000 contract issued by Minister Miriam Dalli for the regeneration of il-Pont tas-Shell in Birżebbuġa.