Daphne Caruana Galizia and the rule of law
Journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was brutally assassinated by a car bomb on 16 October, shortly after leaving her home in a rental car, bringing international media attention, along with European Parliament President Antonio Tajani, to the island.
Thousands of people attended a mass demonstration on Republic Street, Valletta, demanding justice for Caruana Galizia and bringing individuals from all sides of the political divide.
The EP would resoundingly pass a resolution regarding the rule of law in Malta and the assassination, while also renaming the pressroom at the EP in Strasbourg in her honour.
With a nation seemingly resigned to the fact that the case would remain unsolved, on 4 December Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced that 10 men had been arrested at a warehouse in Marsa in connection with the murder, with the publication of the video of the arrest courting significant controversy after critics claimed that the exercise felt more like a marketing ploy.
Three habitual offenders, Vince Muscat, George Degiorgio and his brother Alfred Degiorgio, were charged with the murder.
After two magistrates accepted requests for recusal, Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit presided over the compilation of evidence for the case and concluded that there was sufficient prima facie evidence to issue a bill of indictment against the men, who have all pleaded not guilty.
The compilation of evidence revealed that damning evidence against the men was found through cell-tower information and mobile phone data, while the sighting of a 'white car' around Bidnija in the days preceding the murder, and a cigarette butt with Alfred Degiorgio's DNA found at Tat-Tarġa Battery, also appear to be crucial evidence.
Inspector Keith Arnaud also provided the court with CCTV footage showing one of the Degiorgio brothers on a boat in Grand Harbour boat on the day of the murder. It is believed that the car bomb was triggered through a text message from a mobile phone out at sea.
Horrific cases of domestic abuse
A Moroccan woman was the victim of a horrific attack on 2 April when four men, including the woman's former boyfriend Ashraf Ammar Marghami, performed a forced abortion on her, leaving her for dead after inflicting multiple stab wounds to her forearm and thigh.
A bill of indictment has been issued against one of the four men, Nizar Gwelleg, on charges of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm resulting in an abortion, among others.
Ashraf Ammar Marghami is believed to have fled to Sweden, with the Maltese police issuing a European and International warrant for him.
On 27 October, Nathalie Williams was found to have been kept in an underground space near Fort Ricasoli and Fort Rinella for three days by her estranged husband, Roddy Williams, who has since been charged with attempted murder and a number of other offences.
In November, Minister for Equality Helena Dalli launched the Gender-Based Violence and Domestic Violence Strategy and Action Plan, the first national framework to ensure that legislation, policies and services address victims' needs holistically and as a societal concern.
The action plan will cover four key areas: legal measures and integrated policies; data collection, research and training; raising awareness; and protection and support for victims.
Shootings and bombings
On 17 November, Angelo Mangion was shot and killed in an incident that occurred at around 6.15 pm outside Raymond's Upholstery on Mdina Road, Attard.
The aggressor, who was reportedly wearing a helmet during the shooting, is on the run after fleeing the scene on a motorcycle.
It is believed that the target of the gunman was the shop owner, Raymond Grima, who was injured, whereas the man who died, Mangion, was in the shop by chance.
Apart from the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, Victor Calleja, also known as Iċ-Chippy, died when a car exploded in Marsa on 20 January, while Romeo Bone lost both his legs in a car explosion on Marina Street in Msida on 20 February. Both cases remain open and unsolved.
The General Election
In the face of the Egrant allegations, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat called a snap election on 1 May saying that the corruption allegations risked undermining the economy.
The media frenzy during election month culminated with a showdown between the two Party leaders during a debate broadcast live on Xarabank, which was preceded by the publication of the leaked FIAU reports. While Busuttil seemed to have the political edge, Muscat came out on top - memorably calling Busuttil a 'chicken' when he refused to support outright the Egrant allegations made by Caruana Galizia.
In an election billed as a battle between good governance and economic prosperity, Simon Busuttil's declaration that the election was about principles rather than proposals proved to be a huge mis-step, with Muscat's promises for continued success and a focused vision resulting in a massive electoral win on 3 June, and Busuttil's subsequent resignation.
Egrant, Pilatus Bank and the FIAU leak
On 20 April, Daphne Caruana Galizia claimed that Michelle Muscat was the actual owner of the infamous Egrant Inc. and would later upload the text from two alleged declaration of trusts. However, no actual document was ever published.
The whistleblower, a Russian national who worked at the bank, has since fled the country, claiming that the lives of her and her family in danger.
Caruana Galizia also claimed that the account, including the other two unveiled during the Panama Papers, was used to transfer large sums of money from Leyla Aliyeva, the daughter of Azerbaijani dictator Ilham Aliyev.
What followed the initial allegations will stick in the minds of a Maltese populace that was glued to their screens as Pilatus Chairman and Financial Controller were seen exiting the bank's offices in the middle of the night with two pieces of luggage that were claimed to be 'personal belongings'. All of this took place while Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar was eating rabbit in Mġarr.
In a surreal twist, Cutajar never instituted any form of investigation against the bank or the allegations, with the Prime Minister calling for the magisterial inquiry himself.
Three separate FIAU reports were drafted regarding suspicions of kickbacks over Enemalta's privatisation, the transfer of money from a company connected to the LNG tanker berthed in Marsaxlokk to a Dubai-based company created for Minister for Energy Konrad Mizzi and Prime Minister Chief of Staff Keith Schembri, and Pilatus Bank along with their relationship with PEPs, such as Schembri.
Simon Busuttil also presented Magistrate Aaron Bugeja with eight box files of evidence on the alleged payments made by Keith Schembri to Adrian Hillman, amounting to more than €650,000. Both Schembri and former Times of Malta managing director Hillman deny the accusations.
Former FIAU investigator Jonathan Ferris, who has claimed he was unfairly dismissed from the unit because he was investigating serious crimes involving top government officials, has claimed that there are more Malta-Azerbaijan links to reveal.
Ferris has been subject to a potential gagging order from the Attorney General while also being granted minimal police protection.
PN Leadership Election
Following Simon Busuttil's resignation, the PN leadership race was on, with Adrian Delia, Chris Said, Alex Perici Calascione and Frank Portelli all running for the position.
Delia's 'New Way' seemed to entice PN voters who had grown disillusioned with the party over the previous 10 years, while Said fell victim to a perceived link to previous administrations and the 'establishment', a term which has seemingly begun to lose its meaning.
Delia's campaign would slowly appear to unravel with Daphne Caruana Galizia's revelations that the lawyer had previously opened up an offshore account in Jersey which facilitated funds earned from a brothel in Soho. Calling her a 'bicca blogger' and criticising his perception that she held a stranglehold over the party, Delia would rather farcically file five separate libel cases against the journalist, only for him to drop the cases following her murder.
Serious concerns were also raised over his tax record, which was only published the day before the election, showing that Delia owed some €85,000 to the Inland Revenue Department, €35,000 of which was in respect of overdue fines.
Delia went on to win the run-off election with Said by a whisker, but the newly crowned Opposition Leader appears to face an uphill task with surveys and trust ratings recording abysmal figures, not to mention facing an internal struggle following the open rebellion to his first parliamentary motion.
Chris Cardona
Chris Cardona found himself at the centre of media scrutiny after yet another allegation by Caruana Galizia that the Minister had visited a brothel in Essen during an official visit to Dusseldorf.
Cardona, along with Joseph Gerada (who was allegedly with the Minister at the time), filed for garnishee orders amounting to €47,460 after instituting libel cases against Caruana Galizia. While a fundraising initiative saw Caruana Galizia acquire the necessary funds, her bank accounts remained frozen at the time of her death.
In spite of Cardona's lawyers fighting tooth and nail in the court, a magistrate ordered mobile phone operators to conserve all TAP files related to the Minister at the time he was allegedly at the brothel.
The Azure Window
In March, the Maltese Islands lost one of its most famous landmarks - Gozo's Azure Window at Dwejra - when it collapsed as a result of bad weather and after years of erosion that had seen parts of the natural window being slowly eroded by the elements.
The Window, in the west of Gozo, was one of the most well-known symbols of the Maltese Islands and was frequently used in films and in tourism promotional material.
The EU presidency: the Malta Declaration and data roaming
The first six months of 2017 saw Malta become the rotating President of the Council of the European Union, and oversaw a number of significant milestones during the country's tenure.
The Malta Declaration - made on 3 February - focuses on measures to stem the flow of immigration from Libya to Italy and the EU.
The plan includes increasing training and equipment for the Libyan coastguard, further efforts to block smuggling routes and increasing EU involvement and support within Libya and surrounding countries.
While seemingly curtailing sea crossings, which fell by 70 per cent in 2017, human rights groups have severely criticised the declaration, especially considering the recent revelations that a significant number of migrants in Libya are being sold into the slave trade, with videos of human auctions stunning the international press.
More positively, under Malta's tenure data roaming fees were scrapped across the EU, paving the way for a single digital market.
Same-sex marriage
Ever since the divorce referendum in 2011, Malta has become a beacon for liberal and progressive legislation, with Muscat's government championing LGBTI rights. Three years after the country introduced civil unions, 2017 saw Malta become the 25th country in the world to legalise gay marriage.
The bill had cross-party support, but PN MP Edwin Vassallo broke ranks, insisting that the vote was a matter of moral conscience.
from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/2CmFdBY
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