10 years since Palumbo took over Malta Shipyards

Palumbo took over the shipyard and superyacht yard almost a decade ago. It is not an easy time for boss Antonio Palumbo, who is appealing a six-year jail term, but he told Vanessa Macdonald that he long ago learnt to look at the future with hope.

Antonio Palumbo admits that he is somewhat bewildered by the media reaction to the news that he and his son were among seven businessmen found guilty in a Messina court last January of illegal waste dumping in Sicily.

“I was unfairly crucified by the media here,” he said bitterly, saying that some of the reports were incorrect.

“I should not be judged by what is going on in Messina but by what is going on here,” he said, sweeping his arm around the yard, visible from his office at Għajn Dwieli.

“I have done – and am still doing – a lot for the environment and for the workers’ jobs and for the economy. I deserve credit for all of this.”

His words may come across as defensive and slightly belligerent but his tone was far from it. He appears genuinely perplexed that he has had to face so much criticism in the nine years since he took over the shipyard, from complaints about noise and dirt to salacious gossip about the court case.

He was...