Band club landlord says he has not received any rent for over 30 years
The furious owner of a Birkirkara band club building who has not received rent in over 30 years has called on the government to fulfil its promise to buy such properties or allow him to evict his tenants. Paul Borg Grech has been trying to take legal action to oust the Duke of Connaught’s Own Band Club. However, he is also willing to consider selling the property to the government to resolve the long-standing dispute. In September, the government announced that it is willing to buy properties used by band clubs that are facing threats of eviction so that they can be rented out to the clubs at a reasonable price. “I am ready and willing to discuss a way forward. I have provided the evaluation costs of the premises too but I have heard nothing from the authorities whatsoever,” Borg Grech told Times of Malta. “There are only two outcomes: the government buys the property, and the band club provides them rent, or the band club is evicted.” Borg Grech’s appeal comes months after the Constitutional Court declared as unconstitutional changes to the law meant to safeguard band clubs from eviction from their leased premises. For the past seven years, Borg Grech has been in court trying...