Investigations into illegal villa party ‘still ongoing’, police say

Investigations into an illegal party that was held last week, in full breach of Covid-19 rules, are still ongoing, a police spokesperson has told The Malta Independent.

Video footage of the party, which took place inside an unidentified villa and was complete with fireworks, went viral on social media on Thursday. The footage was originally uploaded to Instagram. It is believed that the event was held somewhere in Iklin.

Mass gatherings are currently banned under Covid-19 regulations and private gatherings are limited to just two households. The rules are set to be relaxed later on this month.

Two members of ClubHouse Europe attended the event, but the organisation said it was not behind the party and that the event did not take place at its own Iklin villa.

The duo - influencer Joao Coronel and co-founder Zak Grech Fenech – had both apologised for their actions, but asked people to make a distinction between their personal and business lives. Coronel said in his apology that he had been used by the media as clickbait in order to get views.

The police had visited Club-House Europe’s premises and confirmed that no party had taken place there, it said.

The police said they are investigating the case together with the Malta Tourism Authority. Replying to questions sent by this newsroom, the police said the investigations have not yet been concluded.

The police are believed to be investigating at least another video of an illegal party that took place inside a private residence over the past couple of days.

Meanwhile, the government has been urged not to allow mass events this summer.

The warnings came as at least two mass events – the Glitch festival and Lost and Found – are already being marketed online. Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said there is “no blessing” for any mass events, despite the fact that at least one of the events is advertised as being sponsored by the MTA.