When the people of Għargħur voted in Mariah Meli as their new Labour Mayor, they did so hoping for accountability, integrity, and order. What she inherited instead was a financial disaster and a trail of political recklessness left behind by the same Nationalist councillors who now sit in silence — or worse, attempt to shift blame.
At the heart of the current crisis is the infamous boxing event held in May 2023 under the so-called leadership of former PN Mayor Helen Gauci. That event racked up over €20,000 in expenses, which Gauci, in a boastful podcast appearance just two months ago, promised she would personally pay. Her words were clear:
“I took responsibility for myself, not the Council. The Council has never spent one cent and will not spend one cent.”
Fast forward to July 2025 — and not a single cent has been paid. Instead, the organizers have issued legal threats to the Għargħur Local Council, demanding payment. The bill now sits on the desk of Mayor Mariah Meli, who was left in the dark by those who made the mess and then ran away from it.
Mariah Meli, showing responsibility that her predecessor lacked, confirmed during the latest public meeting that the council has now received a formal legal letter from the event organizers. She stated that the Council will have no choice but to meet with the organizers to find a way forward — something Gauci has consistently dodged and delayed.
But the boxing event is just the tip of the iceberg.
During the same meeting, the Labour-led council revealed the scandal surrounding the Semaforu Tower, which was illegally used for private purposes. And guess what? The shady agreement with the occupant was allegedly signed by Helen Gauci after her mandate had expired, with the presence of Joseph Farrugia — not a councillor, but President of the local Nationalist Committee. The same Farrugia who publicly threatened Deputy Mayor Francesca Attard and harassed event organizers in full view of the public.
Is this the “good governance” the PN preaches about?
Let’s also not forget the €95,000 in outstanding bills left behind by the previous PN administration — a number that could still rise as the 2024 accounts are being finalised.
Mariah Meli’s administration is now left to clean up this mess: legal letters, unpaid bills, backroom deals, and intimidation tactics. While the PN councillors dodge accountability and play victim, the Labour Mayor is doing the work — facing the public, owning up to the challenges, and dealing with the fallout of Nationalist negligence.
The people of Għargħur deserve better than Nationalist councillors who make empty promises, vanish when accountability is needed, and leave behind financial wreckage and legal threats.
Helen Gauci talked big on podcasts, but when the bills came due. she disappeared. The boxing scandal, the illegal tower arrangement, and nearly €100,000 in outstanding debts are not minor oversights — they are a damning indictment of how the PN runs local councils: with arrogance, negligence, and zero responsibility.
Now it falls on Mayor Mariah Meli and her Labour-led team to do what the Nationalists failed to do — face the public, clean up the mess, restore transparency, and rebuild trust.
