A court has ordered the eviction of tenants who illegally turned a structure near Ħaġar Qim into a restaurant, much to the dismay of the owners.
The case dates back to 2005 when the Magri siblings, heirs of the original owner of the property, Giuseppa Magri, had instituted civil proceedings against Jane Cini, the tenant, requesting the termination of a lease on the grounds that the lessee had altered the use of the property.
In the course of the proceedings, it transpired that the lessee had made extensive structural alterations to the property which had originally consisted of a small structure and open fields.
Over the years, the tenant built stores, a garage, kennels, toilets and metal-framed tents, the court was told. The original building was transformed into a restaurant. The material used consisted of bricks and concrete which contrasted sharply with the original building, as attested by a court expert.
All this was done without the consent of the applicants’ mother who, at the time was still alive and occasionally used to drop by at the restaurant for a drink or a coffee.
The First Hall, Civil Court had upheld the applicants’ claim in 2012, ordering the tenant to vacate...
