Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) has said that following the worrying developments in the Mistra case, it would like to point out the critical importance of wider issues at stake.

FAA said that despite the Structure Plan's guidelines that new developments in the countryside should be limited to essential structures, more than 2,500 permits have been issued Outside the Development Zone in the last two years. Over the last few months hundreds of Mepa applications for sensitive areas like Urban Conservation Areas and Out of Development Zone (countryside) were submitted and permits issued, including some outrageous ones like that of the Safi supermarket.

This begs the question of whether the DCC boards have been fulfilling their brief to protect the environment, and FAA therefore called for a re-examination of all permits granted in the last three months.

The public has every reason to ask whether it is right that DCC board members taking arbitrary and damaging decisions can then simply resign without having to give an account of themselves, or bear any responsibility, the NGO added.

FAA said it also wishes to question the way in which the Malta Tourism Authority is allowed to short-circuit the planning process by holding negotiations on tourism projects with Mepa officials, out of the public eye, on touristic projects, a practice that virtually guarantees their acceptance.

The NGO added that when asking for information on the DCCA's decision on the Mistra permit, Mepa officials evaded FAA's questions regarding the composition of the DCC A Board, claiming they had no way of knowing how each member voted.

While it would seem that the members who voted on the Mistra permit include: Perit Philip Azzopardi, Carmel J Portelli, Anthony Mifsud, Perit Mark Azzopardi, Perit Chris Spiteri, and Charles Calleja, this would not be confirmed by Mepa officials other than to say that Charles Micallef St John was not present on the day. Charles Calleja and Philip Azzopardi have both claimed to be the board member who did not vote in favour of the project. However, when contacted, Mepa officials refused to confirm or deny the list of those responsible for the warped vote on the Mistra debacle.

FAA maintains that this is not in line with the Development Planning Act, which clearly states, "? every vote shall be conducted in public. No secret vote shall be allowed." It is hard to believe that Mepa does not keep minutes of meetings or records of votes. Failure to keep such a record or failure to divulge it, violates the spirit, if not the letter of the "no secret vote" provision; the refusal of Mepa's officials to record or divulge such information implicates them too in a conspiracy of silence in an attempt to shield those who have involved themselves in this case, which has from the start been characterized by murky dealings.

Given the Prime Minister's call for greater transparency at Mepa, we are very surprised by this reply and have no choice but to say that such an attitude and such officials have no place in a reformed Mepa, the NGO concluded.