Inland Revenue Hints Landlord Who Rented Marsa Stables To Migrants Is Under Investigation
Malta’s Inland Revenue Department has hinted at an investigation into a landlord who rented his Marsa stables to over 80 migrants.
“What I can state is that news is monitored on a daily basis and anything that is of interest to the Tax Compliance Unit is looked into,” Commissioner for Revenue Marvin Gaery told Lovin Malta.
The stables were raided last week by Planning Authority officials and police, with the PA stating that the stables had been illegally converted to house foreign workers in inhumane, unsanitary and significantly overcrowded conditions.
The migrants said they each paid €100 a month in rent and, since there were at least 80 of them, this means the landlord stood to gain €8,000 a month by letting them use his stables.
https://www.facebook.com/LovinMalta/videos/451525645403023/?v=451525645403023
No criminal action will be taken against the landlord as it is not a crime to illegally house people. Indeed, police officers were only on site to verify the immigration position of the residents, with interrogations proving that none of them were living in Malta illegally.
The Planning Authority won’t be suing the landlord for breaching the terms of the building’s permit either, as it is internal procedure not to instigate legal action against a person before their second infringement.
However, it will forward him the bills once the police sections involved in the raid issue the PA with their respective invoices.
READ NEXT: Migrants Evicted From Marsa Stables Have Begun Breaking Into Their Former Homes After Struggling To Find Somewhere To Sleep
