Economy Minister’s lease on Portomaso flat was up last Wednesday

The photograph of the Minister for the Economy digging into a large plate of spaghetti, in the previous post, reminds me that his 10-month ‘lease’ (ahem) on Silvan Fenech’s Portomaso flat was up on 30 September, which was last Wednesday.

According to the lease agreement, hastily assembled after questions in parliament following revelations made on this website, the Economy Minister is bound over to pay the full 10 months of rent – that is, 14,000 euros – five days before the entire lease period is up.

This means that the Economy Minister should have paid businessman Silvan Fenech the total sum of 14,000 euros last Friday, for using his Portomaso flat since 1 December last year.

Can we have a follow-up question in parliament, please (and for crying out loud, shouldn’t the Opposition have made a note about this in its collective diary)? Because I really, really don’t feel like popping in to The Stable myself to ask either of them in person.

The chances that the Economy Minister actually paid Silvan Fenech, or that Fenech will be demanding payment, are next to nothing. But still the question should be asked, even if it only results in a fake receipt like the fake lease agreement or a cashed cheque for money that will be transferred back to the Minister immediately.

Scan of contract published by the Ministry for the Economy

The Minister for the Economy (left) with a man known to the police

Silvan Fenech, the businessman who lent the Economy Minister his Portomaso flat, and told him that he could pay the 14,000 in rent when the 10 months were up.