The Polidano Group is the largest private construction business in
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
.
History
Charles Polidano (Iċ-Ċaqnu, born 1960) and his brother Paul founded in 1982 a small construction company,
[ which was incorporated as Polidano Brothers Ltd in July 1987.][opencorpdata]
/ref> The company invested in the mechanisation of the construction industry (until then very labour-intensive), growing through three decades into Malta's biggest construction company.[Malta Independent]
25 June 2007
Combining technology, innovation and expertise
With the largest inventory of plants and machinery across the Maltese Islands, and well as the largest workforce, Polidano Group has long been recognised as the leading local construction company. Its in-house laboratory ensures exacting standards (based on ISO 9002 specifications) and the use of cutting-edge technology places it at the forefront of both the manufacture and construction industries.
The Polidano groups has operations in various sectors: manufacturing and construction, the group's core activity; property development; and hospitality and leisure ( The Westin Dragonara, Le Meridien, St Julian's, and Montekristo Estates[).][Datanyze]
/ref>
Polidano has been working on almost all major infrastructural projects in Malta in the past decades from the Malta Freeport terminal 1 extension, the Lufthansa Technik
Lufthansa Technik AG ('Lufthansa Engineering', often referred to simply as “LHT”) provides worldwide maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services for aircraft, engines, and components. It is a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group.
Headquarte ...
hangar, the WasteServ Sant Antnin Solid Waste Treatment Plant, the North Sewage Treatment Plant, as well The Westin Dragonara, Intercontinental Hotel and Hilton hotels and the high-end housing developments of Portomaso and Tigné Point.[Polidano Group - Our History]
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Legal issues
In 2009 Polidano started the development of a 40-apartment residential block within Balzan
Balzan ( mt, Ħal Balzan) is a municipality in the Central Region of Malta, one of the so-called three villages, together with Attard and Lija. The village originally consisted of a group of small dwellings and farms but eventually grew, beco ...
's village core, despite its application having been rejected by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority
The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA, mt, L-Awtorità ta' Malta dwar l-Ambjent u l-Ippjanar) was the national agency responsible for the environment and planning in Malta. It was established to regulate the environment and planning ...
(MEPA) as leading to overdevelopment. Polidano, who had already cleared the back garden by uprooting trees (including 50 years old protected bay laurel
''Laurus nobilis'' is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glabrous (smooth) leaves. It is in the flowering plant family Lauraceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region and is used as bay leaf for seasoning in cooking. ...
trees), then left the area in a dilapidated state for years. In July 2011, MEPA issued an emergency conservation order over the site, but Polidano took no action. In July 2013 a Court fined Polidano Group for €100,000, close to the maximum by law, and ordered Polidano to abide by the conservation order. However, in November 2017 the court of criminal appeal reduced the fine to €10,000, noting that in the meantime, in 2014, another Polidano company had been granted permission to develop the area while preserving a green enclave with a large number of trees. Polidano was still ordered to comply with the emergency conservation order or pay a daily fine of €130. Also, in February 2017 the Planning Authorities sanctioned further changes to the project, including the building of a swimming pool.
The development of Polidano's headquarters in Ħal Farruġ
Ħal Farruġ is a hamlet located in the south east of Malta, within the limits of Luqa. Within the hamlet's general area, a total number of 24 streets can be found.
The hamlet was run down in 1941 due to the construction of a new airport runway, ...
, 64,000 square metres of land on the limits of the Malta Airport, took place without any permit. Polidano built a 19-metre high office block (double the 10.5 metre limit for industrial areas) and multilevel underground parking, as well as a brick factory and a dormitory for up to 64 foreign workers. In July 2010 Polidano applied for legalisation.
These developments were subject to an enforcement notice by the Planning Authority in 2011, which was however suspended for over a decade pending applications for sanctioning.[Malta Independent]
10 May 2021
Malta Today
7 May 2021 In May 2021 the Planning Authority legalised Polidano's illegal developments against a fine of €32,754.
{{Commons category, Montekristo Estates
Polidano also owns the Montekristo Estates holding outside Siġġiewi
Siġġiewi ( mt, Is-Siġġiewi, ), also called by its title Città Ferdinand, is a city and a local council in the Southern Region of Malta. It is the third largest council in Malta by surface area, after Rabat and Mellieħa respectively. It ...
, including event venues, entertainment facilities, a zoo, a restaurant, a winery, and an olive oil mill operation, which Malta's Planning Authority once described as “one of the largest illegally-built construction sites on the island”.[ In November 2013 the Planning Authority descended on the site together with soldiers and police to demolish illegalities, including a replica of a ]Knights of Malta
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...
tower, a classical-style building and a four-storey edifice with a pool being used as a cafeteria.[ However, any demolition was prevented by a court injunction elicited by Polidano. In June 2020 the Planning Authority stopped illegal works at the site (two towers on either side of the main gate), after Polidano had gathered over €700,000 in daily fines.][Times of Malta]
23 June 2020
In November 2020 Times of Malta
The ''Times of Malta'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Malta. Founded in 1935, by Gerald Strickland, 1st Baron Strickland, Lord and Lady Strickland and Lord Strickland's daughter Mabel Strickland, Mabel, it is the oldest daily newspap ...
reported that Polidano Brothers Limited had gathered some €30.4 million in unpaid taxes over two decades. Other companies owned by Charles Polidano (including the Montekristo Estates) also owned the Maltese state some €6.3 million and €1.2 million. Polidano had been ordered to settle the outstanding debt or face legal action. It is unclear how Polidano could apply for public tenders (which require a compliance certificate) given the outstanding unpaid taxes.[Times of Malta]
22 Nov 2020
Following the news of unpaid tax arrears, Polidano Group was reportedly blacklisted from public tenders. However, Charles Polidano continued to bid for public works through other controlled companies, and to conduct works in partnership with other major developers such as Joseph Portelli.
In July 2022, Charles Polidano and his son Gordon were arrested on suspicion of having corrupted a senior official at a large entity through the sale of a property. They were released on bail. Times of Malta
2 July 2022
References
Companies of Malta
Construction and civil engineering companies