Pawlu Lia, the legal representative of Joseph Muscat and other leading government officials, has continued his bid to transform an 18th Century Palazzo in the heart of Valletta into a four-storey office block.

The site, which is located on Old Bakery Street and is in an Urban Conservation Area, had already seen an application approved in 2018 for a third-floor extension and a set-back fourth-floor extension.

The Planning Directorate had initially approved the project despite the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage objecting to the proposal due to concerns over the building’s height.

Following a request for the project’s  reconsideration back in December 2018, an executable development permit was not issued after the project failed to meet the necessary compliance from the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD).

However, Lia has once again applied to construct the offices as approved by the initial application.

People can file objections up until 26th July 2019.

Besides being Muscat’s personal lawyer, Pawlu Lia is also the government’s representative on the Commission For The Administration Of Justice which is responsible for disciplinary action against the judiciary and lawyers.

Lia has also been involved in many of the court cases involving the Labour Party and its exponents, most notably facing off against Adrian Delia in his bid to publish a full version of the Egrant Inquiry.

His daughter, Nadine, was recently cleared as a magistrate.

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