Chris Cardona now living in Swieqi penthouse previously leased to Henley & Partners

Chris Cardona, who was loaned a Portomaso flat by his drinking-buddy Silvan Fenech of the Tumas Group after he was obliged to leave the marital home almost a year ago, is now living in a penthouse at Park View Mansions, a block of 14 flats on Triq il-Wizna in Swieqi. The penthouse was one of two which until June were leased out to Henley & Partners for occasional use by “Russian clients”.

A spokesman for Henley & Partners told this website that the company “never had any discussions with Chris Cardona regarding any type of lease arrangement” and that its lease on the penthouse in question expired on 23 June this year.

Cardona moved out of Silvan Fenech’s Portomaso flat, where he had been living rent-free since December, around a month ago. When he had been living there for nine months already as Fenech’s guest, this website broke the story and the matter was raised in parliament by the Opposition.

Cardona then produced a hastily cobbled-together lease agreement the likes of which no lawyer or letting agent has ever seen before: that rent for the total lease period only becomes due five days before the lease itself expires.

When the lease expired a month ago, Cardona produced as supposed proof of payment a cancelled cheque made out to Fenech, with whom he drinks on a regular basis at The Stable in Valletta and elsewhere.

This afternoon I rang Anthony Busuttil, who owns the entire block at Park View Mansions and leases out all the flats, and asked him whether the Minister for the Economy is renting the penthouse or borrowing it.

Mr Busuttil carried on listening to me after I introduced myself, but then froze as he heard my questions and snapped that he doesn’t know who I am and doesn’t see why he should tell me anything.

That a landlord should protect his tenants’ privacy is perfectly understandable and the done thing, but his defensiveness and aggression spoke volumes.