After years of missed deadlines, budget overruns, and controversy, the Gozo Aquatic and Sports Centre is at last taking steps towards what officials now call a “gradual opening.” The Ministry for Gozo and Planning, under Minister Clint Camilleri, has said that the complex has reached its “final stages,” although major parts of the facility remain unfinished.
While recently on site in Victoria (Rabat), Camilleri referred to the infrastructure works being undertaken in Triq l-Ewropa, the main road next to the centre. Fresh roads are being asphalted and improved along with other surrounding arteries like Triq l-Imgħallem and Triq Ġorġ Pisani, which are being turned into by-pass roads to ease traffic within the capital’s centre.
But the rush to finish works is a world away from the history of the project, one marked by massive delays, dubious decisions, and allegations of corruption.
As The Maltese Herald reported back in May 2023, the centre was initially inaugurated with fanfare by Prime Minister Robert Abela back in 2021. The centre was then touted as a flagship project that was to be completed in time to host the 2023 Games of the Small States of Europe. Two years down the line, however, that promise is still unfulfilled. The centre missed its highest-target and is by a minimum of €7 million over budget – now reaching €20 million in total cost.
In an earlier report this year, The Maltese Herald explained more serious structural problems. Investigations into the project revealed the project had been greatly expanded in scale, what was initially planned as an extension becoming a complete demolition and rebuild. EU-funded additions such as a €1 million roof and parquet flooring were torn out unnecessarily.
Legal and ethical questions surrounded the delays. A court case brought by lawyer Jason Azzopardi implicated Minister Camilleri and his Permanent Secretary John Borg in serious allegations: abuse of public funds, illegal procurement procedures, and money laundering. Among the most harrowing accusations is the continued use of concrete provided from an illegal batching plant in Kerċem owned by developer Joseph Portelli. Even when ordered to be shut down, the plant allegedly supplied much of the material used in constructing the complex, directly through government contracts.
Further investigation has revealed that the same plant, which was involved in the tainted contractor Charles Polidano-led consortium, was allowed when flagrant breaches of procurement laws and €40 million in tax arrears were left unpaid.
Minister Camilleri has since tried to shift focus to the future, stating that roads across Gozo, particularly in Victoria, are being improved “on short timeframes.” He referred to the recently completed Santa Dminka Road as evidence of progress. However, questions remain: why is so much work accelerated suddenly now, only after years of political and media pressure?
The government insists that the works are a “clear commitment to improve Gozitan infrastructure,” but to the majority of Gozitans, all this activity to date appears more like a politically expedient dash to mend a reputation tarnished by misgovernment.
Despite Minister Camilleri’s optimistic rhetoric, the centre is still not fully operational. There is no confirmed opening date for the aquatic section or the rest of the sports complex, even as surrounding roads are paved and painted. The phrase “gradual opening” simply shows an attempt to claim completion without accountability.
Meanwhile, Gozitan athletes train without proper facilities and taxpayers question whether they will ever gain full value for a project that started out as a dream of progress and ended up drenched in scandal.
Newsroom
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