Nationalist MEP Francis Zammit Dimech accuses government of favouritism over refusal to grant him access to farmers market
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Thursday, February 28, 2019
Nationalist MEP denied access to Pitkali market, claims discrimination
‘Why was Sant allowed at open market, and I wasn’t,’ Zammit Dimech asks
Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Clint Camilleri needs to explain why MEP Alfred Sant has been granted access to visit Pitkali (vegetable and fruit) Market Centre in Ta' Qali "whereas I was denied permission even though several e-mail requests have been sent", PN MEP Francis Zammit Dimech said today.
"It is unbelievable that now the government has taken favouritism to such a level," he said. Zammit Dimech had made a request to visit Pitkali Market Centre in Ta' Qali as part of a consultation process he had launched in March 2018.
In July 2018 Zammit Dimech said had requested the Pitkali Market Centre to make a visit to meet farmers but he was never granted permission. Currently there are no Maltese MEPs serving on the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) and Zammit Dimech had teamed up with other MEPs and the rapporteur in the AGRI committee to present proposals of Maltese farmers in a report on the future of food and farming.
In his proposals Zammit Dimech had proposed that special consideration should be granted to farmers who face extra challenges due to specific constraints linked to less favoured areas such as islands and outermost regions to maintain farming activity in such areas.
Farmers had also expressed disappointment with respect to delay for payments. In this regard, Zammit Dimech had proposed that the new common agriculture policy must make financing more expedited, fairer and more efficient. Due to the fact that young and first generation farmers were facing difficulties to have access to terrain, Zammit Dimech proposed support initiatives to help young farmers have access to terrain including succession planning.
Zammit Dimech, a former Minister for the Environment had also spoken on the need to protect arable land from development. In his proposals he had raised the need for farmers to obtain a fair and equitable compensation for their produce and for a level playing field for all farmers including small family farmers. Zammit Dimech had emphasised that strengthening the position of farmers in the food supply chain was crucial to ensure affordable prices for citizens and consumers and to promote a healthy diet.
Zammit Dimech said that the government's bias was of detriment to the farmers as this report came at an important time ahead of new EU Agricultural Policy which will determine EU funding for agriculture post 2020. In fact, there are currently ongoing negotiations in the AGRI Committee that involve such aspects.
Zammit Dimech said that he will continue to be the voice of farmers irrespective of government's partisan policies. He said that he remains committed to ensure that current agricultural budget is increased or maintained to ensure that the objectives made will be reached. The current proposal presented by the Commission proposes a reduction of around 5%.
Ongoing discussions on reforms being proposed by the European Commission focus on generational renewal in the farming population and call for boosting support for new farmers, regardless of age, as well as promoting women's participation in the economy of rural areas. They also call for stronger farmer organisations and better organised farmers to benefit more from EU funding. The reforms also touch with financial precautions such as insurances for farmers. In the light of the threat of budget cuts as a result of Brexit, calls are being made for keeping the CAP's budgetary allocation at least at the same level as in the current programming period. In terms of redistribution of subsidies discussions are ongoing for small and medium-sized farms to be better supported.
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Malta failed in construction planning, MDA president says
Malta failed in terms of forward development planning, and needs to concentrate more on having a strategy in place for the sector, Malta Developers' Association president Sandro Chetcuti said on Thursday.
Speaking at the association's annual general meeting, Chetcuti said that since the British left Malta, development planning had been fragmentory in nature.
"We cannot afford to turn Malta into a Bugibba and Qawra," Chetcuti said, however adding that the construction industry was one of the main reasons why Malta went from a recession to the "biggest boom the country has ever seen".
Chetcuti said that local players in the industry weren't afraid of competing with foreign developers, but that it had to be ensured that there was a level playing field for both.
He complained that developers were facing excessive bureaucracy which was holding the sector back.
Chetcuti said that the MDA was in favour of land reclamation, as long as it wasn't done for speculative purposes. "We don't want to see blocks of flats built on reclaimed land."
In his address, Opposition leader Adrian Delia agreed with Chetucti's call for more planning. "When it comes to long-term planning, the question is not if we build, but the way we will build, and if this will be suiting Malta's needs," he said.
"We need to consider what Malta's population will be in two decades' time, how many of these will be foreigners, how many will be families…" he said.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, however, rejected the idea that it was possible or practical to plan so far ahead.
"I am absolutely against planning which tries to forecast today what the needs of my children's children will be 25 years in the future," he said, "This is not realistic, and countries, including Malta, which tried to do this, realised they were wasting their time. Things are happening at such a fast pace in today's world, and technology is developing so quickly, that predicting the future is impossible."
"We need to agree on what developers can do and what they can't. There is a fine line between understanding what the country's economy needs, but also understanding that a plan means that some things have got to give," he said.
Muscat said the time had arrived for the government to move away from taking direct decisions in the sector, and instead place things in the hands of professionals.
"I am ready to start a discussion on this matter," he added.
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IMF ‘praises measures’ taken in past years, government says
The government has taken a positive approach to the report issued by the International Monetary Fund, which said that "Malta has been one of the fastest growing countries in the EU".
According to the IMF, "prudent fiscal policy and successful structural reforms have helped strengthen public accounts, boost productivity growth and maintain social cohesion". The IMF "commended the authorities for sound policies that have supported strong economic performance and job creation while improving public finances".
The government's stand is in contrast with what the PN said about the report, with the party blaming the Prime Minister and Finance Minister for the "heavy criticism" received in the report. In the report, the IMF called on the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) to take urgent action on shortcomings in bank supervision.
In its statement, the government noted that the report forecast that the country's economic growth will continue, with the result that the government's debt will go down to 30 per cent of GDP.
The IMF report, the government said, concluded that the government's fiscal policy is what Malta needs and praises efforts made against tax evasion. The IMF noted the "steps in the right direction" that were taken against risks that could result from the expansion of the financial sector.
Housing prices reflect the economic developments the country is making, the government said, adding that the report highlights the government's focus on upgrading road infrastructure.
"the share of the population at risk of poverty is relatively stable and below the European average", the report said, noting that "poverty risk has been dropping at the aggregate level in recent years".
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‘Brussels can’t take away Malta’s golden passport,’ Labour MEP tells supporters
True to form, Labour MEP Alfred Sant calls on voters to reject EU federalism
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Malta needs more political parties, German experts say
The Sustainable Governance Index suggests that a move from Malta's two-party system to a multi-party system may erode this us-against-them polarisation
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The right to impart and receive information on abortion...
Why an abortion information service is protected by the human rights convention. MaltaToday takes a quick look at the issue at stake
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‘We can debate abortion all we want… but Maltese women are getting on planes’
Mara Clarke's charity will give women advice and funding on how to get an abortion outside Malta. Her silent coup marks an important milestone in women's rights in Malta
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Cost of damage from weekend storm still being quantified – PM
The cost of the damage caused by the storm that hit the Maltese Islands the past weekend is still to be quantified, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said.
In a meeting with people who were involved in rescuing services and cleaning-up operations during and after the storm, Muscat said that the storm did not have a bigger negative effect because hundreds of workers and volunteers kept the country going.
This shows that the country's systems are in place, he said, confirming the government's intentions to help farmers and fishermen make up for the losses they made because of the storm.
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Judge declines to exercise powers in case involving men charged with Daphne’s murder
A judge has declined to exercise his Constitutional powers and prevent a witness from testifying in a case filed by the men accused of the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio stand accused together with Vince Muscat with Caruana Galizia's homicide. The compilation of evidence regarding the murder continues tomorrow, with the testimony of court appointed IT expert Dr. Martin Bajada, who assisted in the inquiry.
But the accused do not want Bajada to testify and have tried several Constitutional avenues to prevent this from happening. The latest, filed with urgency two days ago, contends that allowing Bajada to testify would breach their right to a fair hearing.
Before Mr. Justice Toni Abela today, lawyer Victoria Buttigieg from the Office of the Attorney General explained that the case had its origins in a decree of the Court of Magistrates as a court of criminal inquiry. "The next sitting is on March 1, and instead of filing as soon as they could, they left it for a week and then filed an urgent application.
"This is the 9th case from the same compilation of evidence," she said, denouncing the action as an "abuse of procedure and the Constitution." The court should deplore the abuse of Constitutional procedure, she said, as it was up to the court to stop these things from happening.
Defence lawyer William Cuschieri argued that if the court decided the matter today, it would deprive the men of their right to appeal, as the Bajada sitting is tomorrow and there would be no time for the appeal to be filed, much less heard. He requested an interim measure to regulate the matter until a final decision is made.
In March last year, he explained, two Constitutional cases were filed over Bajada, together with a request for an interim measure. This last request had been provisionally upheld and then later repealed. Cuschieri had filed an appeal to the Constitutional Court.
"If the decree is given effect and Martin Bajada testifies tomorrow, there will be a breach of the provisional decree and I will have no remedy left. We might disagree on whether the decree is still valid but not that an appeal be reduced to nothing."
"If the court is going to hear Bajada tomorrow, this will exhaust the merits of the case. Effectively that is the bottom line and it is irremediable. I am saying don't prejudice my right to have an interim measure," he said. It would be a "clear breach" of human rights if Bajada took the stand tomorrow when he had a sitting scheduled for April 8 in the case meant to prevent him from testifying.
Buttigieg rebutted the argument, saying that the courts had already stated that there would be no prejudice if the witness testifies. "Strictly speaking, the merits of this appeal are already exhausted," she added.
Mr. Justice Abela had then postponed the sitting for a decision later today. When the court reconvened at 7:40pm, he said there were two types of decrees, irreversible and reversible. It is only the first type which could prejudice the case. The court said it disagreed that it would be irreversible to have Bajada testify.
However, said the judge, the potential for an effective remedy was still available before the Constitutional courts and so he declined to exercise his powers.
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Woman reported missing found safe and sound
A woman who was reported missing two weeks ago has been found safe and sound, the police said.
The English woman, Jeannette Burke, 41, had been reported missing on 15 February.
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[WATCH] Brexit means Malta has to fork out more cash to the EU
EU funds minister Aaron Farrugia and Opposition spokesperson for European affairs David Stellini on TVM's Xtra
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[WATCH] Malta failed in construction planning, needs to look to the future, developers' boss says
MDA chief Sandro Chetcuti, Opposition leader Adrian Delia and Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, addressing the MDA's Annual General Meeting, give their take on the way forward for development
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Court declines to stop witness from testifying in Caruana Galizia case
Accused in Caruana Galizia assassination do not want court expert to testify, but a court has refused to recognise their alleged breach of fair hearing
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Roman remains face destruction if Manoel Island project goes through, archeologist warns
Archeological remains dating back to the Roman era, which have been submerged through years of clamate change, risk being lost, archeologist Reuben Grima said
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PN blames PM, Scicluna after IMF, European Commission heavily criticise government
Two reports issued by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Commission respectively, heavily criticised government's handling of the financial services sector, the Nationalist Party said in a statement.
In a report entitled Country Report Malta 2019, issued on 27 February, the European Commission noted that Malta's economic performance, although positive, is facing sustainability challenges. The report mentions a number of factors that are impinging on the country's economic performance including inflation, the PN said through Mario de Marco,
Opposition Spokesperson for Finance, and Kristy Debono Opposition Spokesperson for Economy, Financial Services and Innovation
The report notes that "children in single-parent, and medium-skilled families are at greater risk of poverty." With regards to public finance, the report comments on the increase in public expenditure stating that government is financing permanent expenditure with temporary income. This equates with what the Opposition has repeatedly stated, that is that government is recklessly increasing public expenditure basing its spending patterns on income, including income from proceeds of the IIP scheme, which might decrease sharply in the near future.
With regards to financial services, the report notes that "Recent investigations involving money laundering have exposed serious shortcomings in Malta's anti-money laundering enforcement framework". The report also notes that Malta has made limited progress in addressing the 2018 country specific recommendations, including the recommendation to strengthen the overall national supervision of the financial services sector. The report states that "no significant steps have been taken to strengthen enforcement of the anti-corruption framework".
In a report issued a few hours later, the IMF also criticised the way Malta's financial services sector is being regulated, the PN said. In particular, the IMF noted how the Ministry of Finance Is required to endorse the human resources budget of MFSA and that the Office of the Prime Minister is required to approve recruitment "on a case-by-case basis". On this last point, it should be pointed out that the Ombudsman recently commented on the political intervention in recruitment and promotion exercises in public authorities. He said that such interventions have serious repercussion on the democracy of our country.
The report notes that the MFSA's actions have not always been timely and effective. The report goes on to say that: "Increasing inflows, including from countries generally considered to pose greater … risks, may exploit vulnerabilities in the banking sector, real estate, remote gaming, virtual assets, and the IIP. A new legislative AML/CFT framework entered into force in 2018, but according to the opinion of the European Commission (July 2018), the transposition of the EU's Fourth AML Directive is not complete and recent bank intervention cases exposed serious shortfalls in the framework. Malta is currently undergoing an assessment against the Financial Action Task Force 2012 standard".
These two reports echo the positions adopted by the Opposition over the past months and those of other organisations. A few days back the CEO of HSBC said that the damage on Malta's reputation is harming banking profits. These report clearly show that the government has failed in carrying out its duty of ensuring that our financial services sector is duly regulated. The lack of proper and efficient regulation has led to high profile cases that severely damaged Malta's standing as a financial services centre of excellence.
Minister Scicluna has recently commented that the Panama papers debacle is history, the PN said. Clearly it is not. Malta is suffering and will continue to suffer. The blame for this rests heavily on the Prime Minister and Minister Edward Scicluna, the PN said.
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Alfred Sant supports Carnival enthusiasts
Former Prime Minister and Maltese MEP Alfred Sant today met carnival enthusiasts in Marsa who year in year out give their energy and their artistic creativy to produce carnival floats which claim the admiration of thousands of Maltese and tourists who visit Malta during the Carnival season.
The Maltese MEP said that the damage caused by last week's storms confirms the need for the proposed Carnival village that will enable carnival enthusiasts to create and store their floats in a safe place.
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IMF calls on MFSA to take urgent action on shortcomings in bank supervision
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has called on the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) to take urgent action on shortcomings in bank supervision.
The MFSA should take timelier supervisory actions, increase the frequency of onsite inspections, make more use of monetary fines as part of the sanctioning regime, and ensure supervisory action is not delayed through judicial appeal, the IMF said in a new report.
Supervision should focus on main risks (credit, liquidity, and compliance) and the adequacy of risk classification and provisioning. Further actions are needed to align the related-parties framework with the Basel Core Principles (BCP). Improving oversight of non-European Union (EU) branches is also important, it said.
The report says Malta's financial sector is strongly connected with the rest of the world. While Malta has benefited from considerable financial inflows, the associated risks, especially related to money laundering and terrorism financing (ML/TF), need to be closely monitored and addressed.
"Banks are well capitalized, liquidity is ample, and profitability is healthy. However, core domestic banks' high exposure to property-related loans, together with the rapid house price appreciation, poses a risk. The significant share of nonresident deposits in international and noncore domestic banks makes them vulnerable, but their exposure to the domestic economy is limited. While nonperforming loans remain below the euro area average, there are pockets of distressed corporate loans that continue to impact banks' balance sheets."
The system is sufficiently capitalized to absorb losses in the event of a severe macroeconomic shock, but risky exposures would lead to potential losses at a few small banks, the IMF warned.
"Under a stress event, large withdrawals of wholesale and nonresident deposits can put some banks under pressure. Contagion risk is estimated to be limited, but distress could impact smaller banks due to cross-border and cross-sectoral linkages. There is a need to closely monitor banks' evolving business models to detect potential shifts in systemic risks, strengthen the stress test approaches, and enhance data quality and management."
The IMF also warned that the MFSA is substantially understaffed, which undermines its effectiveness and operational independence.
"The authorities should upgrade the MFSA's operational capacity and grant it full autonomy over its recruitment. The authorities should develop a five-year plan to ensure sustained budgetary resources for the MFSA. Further steps should be taken to enhance checks and balances in the MFSA's decision-making process."
"Policies and procedures should be developed for the MFSA's early intervention and resolution powers, including to mitigate legal risks. An administrative bank insolvency framework should be adopted, and the creditor hierarchy clarified. Responsibility for decisions on bank liquidation and insolvency post-license withdrawal should be shifted from the MFSA's supervisory function to its resolution function. The MFSA and the Ministry for Finance (MFIN) should develop their internal crisis management plans," the report says.
"The cross-border linkages of the large financial sector pose significant ML/TF risks, notably from foreign proceeds of crimes, which create challenges through growing reputational risks, pressure on correspondent banking relationships (CBR) and compliance costs. The fast-growing remote gaming activity, virtual-assets intermediation, and high demand for real estate and the Individual Investment Program (IIP) call for effective measures to contain financial integrity risks."
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A.I. to be ethically aligned, transparent, and socially responsible – PS Schembri
The policy envisaged for artificial intelligence in Malta will ensure the technologies be ethically aligned, transparent, and socially responsible, Parliamentary Secretary for Digital Economy and Innovation Silvio Schembri said on Thursday.
Speaking at Artificial Intelligence in Gaming Conference at the Microsoft Innovation Centre, the Parliamentary Secretary ensured that the strategy will be developed in such a way as to determine how this technology can be used to further improve the services given to our citizens.
As Schembri noted in his speech, two decisions made by this administration pushed the country towards a focus on digital innovation within the realm of distributed ledger technology and artificial intelligence.
Last July, the Malta Gaming Authority implemented the first phase of the sandbox framework for the acceptance of virtual financial assets, and also the use of distributed ledger technology within the gaming industry.
Also, later on in the year, Schembri announced Malta's vision on Artificial intelligence, and that the country will be discovering its potential within the industry of artificial intelligence to further bring about economic growth within the field of digital innovation in Malta.
"Our next target now is to position Malta amongst the top 10 counties in the world with an Artificial intelligence policy.
This vision prioritizes the importance of discussions on the subject, providing an environment within which stakeholders are able to build awareness on key issues within the industry."
A noted milestone was positioning Malta as the Blockchain Island, he explained, by being the first country in the world to offer a regulatory environment for these products and services through the enactment of virtual financial asset act and regulations issued by the Malta financial services authority.
"In some cases, innovation may lead to controversy and uncertainty, but one should consider that some of the controversies have created the greatest changes that affects our lives."
The goal of the Malta.AI taskforce, made up of entrepreneurs, academics, and experts within the field, is to devise a holistic approach towards this industry, to eventually inform a national A.I. framework.
Work is also being done to understand how A.I. can be applied by government to further improve services given to the citizens.
"This is the start of another chapter for Malta, and Malta's vision to become a powerhouse of economic innovation.
Artificial intelligence and gaming can form a perfect fusion, whereby technology is used to foster the safeguarding of citizens, whilst enhancing player experience and operators' reputations."
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Court IT system to get €450,000 upgrade
The law courts will be getting a €450,000 upgrade in its information technology (IT) infrastructure with the intention of reinvigorating and modernising the system.
The upgrades will see 122 kilometres of new cables laid around the law courts and 2,500 new network ports installed. The upgrades are expected to be finished by June this year, and 12,000 man-hours of work have already been put into the project.
Speaking at a press conference organised at the law courts, Chief Justice Joseph Azzopardi said that the digital system in place is of great help to lawyers and judges and that such further technological innovation will only serve to help give service to more people in a reasonable time frame.
Chief Justice Azzopardi said that justice should be handed out in as soon a time as possible and that, while there were various factors to blame for delays in cases, such technological innovation can only have positive impacts on this.
Justice Minister Owen Bonnici explained the nature of the upgrades and said that by this coming June, every building will have a proper IT structure which can be built upon.
Without this structure one cannot build further IT services to continue to improve, Bonnici said. He added that the new system was not necessarily being implemented to address current problems but was, for the first time, looking towards the future.
The minister also said that the current justice services site is also being improved and reiterated what Chief Justice Azzopardi said; that justice not done in time is an injustice.
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Gozo minister announces fourth ferry and helicopter will operate in near future
The Gozo Tourism Association said that it was in favour of more connectivity between the two islands especially by the introduction of an airlink
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Maximilian Ciantar's theft jail sentence confirmed, as court changes stance on legal assistance right during questioning
The convicted thief's nine-month jail term was confirmed on appeal, after the court noted a shift in the European human rights court's rulings on the right to legal assistance during questioning
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TMID Editorial: SLAPP lawsuits and 17 Black - A double slap in the face
Malta yesterday received a double slap in the face courtesy, once again, of the European Parliament's Financial Crimes Committee.
Not only did the TAX3 Committee yesterday pass a vote calling on the United Arab Emirates to take action on the 17 Black company implicated in bribery allegations related to the commissioning of the Delimara power station's commissioning.
It also called on all EU member states to outlaw SLAPP lawsuits, something the Maltese government has been most reticent to do despite the fact that Maltese media houses have fallen victim to this most diabolical means of gagging the press.
These are most certainly two subjects the government is most reluctant to touch even with a barge pole.
Starting with 17 Black, it is most humiliating that the European Parliament has had to step in on a purely Maltese issue, and one upon which the Maltese government fears to tread. That is quite clearly because the government's primary movers and shakers – Minister Konrad Mizzi and the Prime Minister's chief of staff Keith Schembri, both of Panama Papers fame – are evidently implicated no one, repeat no one, not even successive police commissioners, have been willing to investigate that can of worms.
In fact, the owner of 17 Black, and erstwhile power station entrepreneur Yorgen Fenech, has insists that the police has not even gotten around to question him over graft allegations. And the police force, in the meantime, is refusing to answer this newspaper's questions.
But, at least, MEPs are cut from a different cloth and, like a dog with a bone, they are refusing to let it go.
The TAX3 Committee yesterday demanded that the UAE ensures that funds frozen in 17 Black's bank accounts remain frozen, while highlighting the lack of independence of both the Maltese FIAU and the police, not to mention expressing deep concern over the situation in Malta and the political inaction on cases of high-level corruption and money laundering involving Maltese politicians.
Worse still, a call was also made for the establishment of a Joint Investigation Team to address serious doubts about the independence of any ongoing investigations on 17 Black, with the support of EUROPOL and EUROJUST.
Now if Malta had any notion at all of investigating 17 Black, either to prove a lack of corruption or corruption, it would have taken these steps itself before the Committee had issued such calls.
And the fact that it has not done so implies complicity or cover-up, neither of which befits ant sort of EU member state.
And one wonders what could be next. The answer could very well lie in the form of yesterday's EP endorsement for appointment of EU's first chief prosecutor. She is Laura Kovesi, formerly the chief prosecutor of Romania's National Anticorruption Directorate. The 40-year-old has prosecuted dozens of mayors, five MPs, two ministers and a prime minister in a single year, plus hundreds of judges and former prosecutors. Her conviction rate is reportedly at 90%
Does anyone see where we are going with this, and perhaps why Malta had held out so long against the institution of such a pan-European role? If not, read the writing on the wall again, and it's pretty clear that the fear is that Maltese shenanigans could very well be the first in her cross hairs.
And as for the SLAPPs - Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) – the same Committee yesterday stepped in to demand that member states outlaw them completely, something the Maltese government has claimed to not be possible.
Such lawsuits are intended solely to censor, intimidate, and silence critics such as the media by burdening them with an excessively costly legal defence until they abandon their criticism. The aim of such lawsuits is not necessarily to secure a legal victory, but, rather, to prevent the media from exercising its right and sacrosanct duty to inform the public about matters of public interest.
They have been employed time and time again by some of the nastier foreign elements doing business in Malta, and with the government.
It is high time this media gagging tool was eliminated once and for all on, if not on other grounds, on the grounds of sane public policy.
If member states do not of their own accord the thinking is that concrete action will be taken on an EU level.
Sooner or later justice will prevail on 17 Black, perhaps thanks to the EP and the investigative journalists who have done so much, and, in the meantime the elimination of SLAPP lawsuits will allow those journalists to continue with their work safe in the knowledge that they can only be sued for their stories under the laws of their own country and without the prospect of libel tourism.
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Sea-Watch activists plead guilty to damaging public property
The activists were accused of spray painting slogans on the Kappara bridge
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Planning Appeals board rules db Group’s St George’s Bay project can go ahead
The planning appeals tribunal on Thursday gave the green light for the db Group's controversial St George's Bay mega-development, but has demanded changes to the original plans.
The developers have been ordered to create 270 square metres of open spaces, keep the entire facade of the scheduled building and lower the height by 10 metres.
The €300 million project on the site formerly occupied by the Institute of Tourism Studies, includes a 37-storey tower and 17-storey hotel. The project was approved by the Planning Authority in September despite 4,500 objections from the public, local councils and NGOs.
An appeal against the decision was filed in November by 17 entities, including Pembroke, Swieqi and St Julian's local councils and several environmental groups, following a crowdfunding drive which raised more than €24,000 to cover the costs of the appeal.
The Environment and Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT) announced its decision on Thursday.
This is a developing story. Please refresh for latest update.
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9-month jail term for Maximilian Ciantar confirmed on appeal
Maximilian Ciantar, who was arrested as he tried to rob a couple in Dingli three years ago, has had his 9-month jail term confirmed on appeal.
Ciantar, who had been jailed for two years for running over 10-year old twin girls at Attard in 2011, was one of two thieves who had broken into the farmhouse in Dingli on Easter Sunday during the early morning, in an attempt to rob the farmer and his wife, who had been milking their cows.
Ciantar, 26 at the time, together with 19 year-old Darryl Anthony Anderson had disguised their appearance, Ciantar donning a dark head scarf and Anderson a crash helmet before threatening the couple with a knife, wielded by Ciantar.
The farmer had run off, chased by Ciantar while Anderson had punched the woman, ordering her to hand over money. The woman had later told the police that her husband had been carrying some €1000 in cash when he fled the scene.
The robbery was unsuccessful however, being disrupted by the arrival of the police.
The couple had later identified the aggressors at the police station and had also pointed them out in court.
The Court of Magistrates had convicted Ciantar in November 2017, handing him a 9-month jail term, which he had appealed.
Ciantar's lawyer contested the conviction on the grounds that it was reliant on the victims' identification of the suspect which he said had been 'contaminated' by the police officers' influence at the police station.
However, the court observed that although this manner of identification should always allow for genuine error and was always to be analyzed with great caution, in this case, the couple's description had been precise.
The evidence pointed to the fact that the sole reason for Ciantar's presence at the farmhouse was to commit theft. Even though he had claimed that he had accompanied his friend without knowing what was going to happen, once there, he had gone along with his friend's plan and his actions amounted to preparatory acts to the perpetration of the crime.
The court observed how, in his statement to the police, Ciantar had described the incident as a stupid adventure which he would never repeat.
It was this statement which was attacked by the appeal, with its probatory value, not having been released in the presence of a lawyer, being questioned by the appellant.
But in a marked departure from recent case law on the subject, Madam Justice Edwina Grima , presiding the court of criminal appeal, declared that the issue needed to be analyzed with more caution in the light of a recent ECHR pronouncement which had changed the former judicial criteria.
In the 2018 case Philippe Beuze vs Belgium, the Grand Chamber of the ECHR declared that in criminal proceedings, a statement by the accused when not assisted by a lawyer, was not to be automatically discarded as evidence, but its admissibility was to be first subjected to a two-part test: Firstly the court was to see whether there were compelling reasons for the right to a lawyer to be withheld and, secondly, then to assess the overall fairness of the proceedings.
In this case, Ciantar had consulted his lawyer, Joseph Brincat, before the interrogation and had been well-assisted all throughout the court proceedings, Madam Justice Grima observed.
In addition to this, at the time of the attempted robbery, Ciantar had been 26 years old with 11 previous convictions on his criminal record and therefore did not qualify as a "vulnerable person," the court observed.
There was also the fact that Ciantar's statement had only served to corroborate the version of events given by the couple who had been the prosecution's main witnesses and who had identified Ciantar as one of the robbers.
Finally, the court noted that the current right to legal assistance during interrogation did not actually translate into "much effective assistance," as lawyers could only intervene in exceptional circumstances, this under a proviso which did not feature in the relative EU Directive.
Having taken all of this into account, the court ruled that the accused's statement and the testimony of the victims all served to confirm his guilt and rejected the appeal, reaffirming his punishment.
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Educators' union calls for injury compensation for teachers
The Union of Professional Educators has urged the government to adopt the same compensatory measures being offered to disciplined forces for educators injured at school
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Ivan Grech Mintoff must pay €3,000 for ‘baby-killer’ slur against gay rights movement
The Malta Gay Rights Movement has been awarded €3,000 in damages for defamation by a court which found against conservative politician Ivan Grech Mintoff, over defamatory statements he broadcast on YouTube and on Facebook.
The NGO had also sued pro-life organisation Gift Of Life, for alleging that the gay rights movement was being funded by the American pro-choice organisation Planned Parenthood – the largest single provider of reproductive health services, including abortion, in the United States.
The MGRM said Grech Mintoff's defamatory statements included alleging on Facebook that an MGRM representative had admitted "taking money from murdered children to fund her own personal agenda"; stating on television that the MGRM "took money from people who killed children"; and suggesting on Facebook that the MGRM were "in bed with the world's foremost abortion promoters".
Grech Mintoff, who runs the political movement Alleanza Bidla, is a former chairman of the adoption board who was not reappointed after he opposed allowing parents in civil unions to adopt children.
Magistrate Francesco Depasquale said Grech Mintoff had made "consciously economical" assertions that were based on substantially incorrect facts, which he knew were not attributable to the MGRM. "Such obfuscation shows that Grech Mintoff wanted to damage the MGRM on the subject of abortion, and this cannot go unpunished… these were serious allegations, suggesting that the MGRM obtained funds generated from abortion services, something that impinged upon the credibility of the organisation."
MGRM had denied having any ties to Planned Parenthood, and instead it declared that in 2010 it had acquired funds from International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) – which is a separate organisation to Planned Parenthood – to submit proposals to the government on the introduction of the Gender Identity Act.
IPPF is a pro-choice organisation that advocates for women's health rights as well as access to contraception and safe abortion services, and is funded by the European Commission and the United Nations Population Fund, amongst other organisations.
The MGRM said Gift Of Life's declarations were false and that it never promoted the introduction of abortion to Malta. "MGRM has no position on abortion, and this issue does not even fall within its aims."
MGRM were represented by lawyers Cedric Mifsud and Gianluca Cappitta.
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Sea Watch activists fined for damaging public property by spraying slogans
Three Sea Watch activists have been convicted of damaging public property after they admitted to spray painting slogans on Kappara bridge.
Student Daniel Tamino Bohm 27 and freelance graphic designer Jelka Elena Kretzschmar, 35 from Germany, together with Marco Muller, a 26 year old design engineer from Switzerland were arraigned before magistrate Josette Demicoli this morning, accused of causing over €6,000 worth of damage to Kappara Bridge by spray painting the slogans "Open the Ports" and "Free the Ships" on to the structure's concrete pillars.
Magistrate Josette Demicoli heard Police Inspector Colin Sheldon explain how a report had been received by Sliema police station that people were spray painting graffiti on the structure. Police went to the scene and caught the trio in the act.
The court warned them that the punishment stated in the law was prison between 18 months and 4 years, since it is public property, the punishment is increased by a grade to between 2 years and 5 years. but that as this was a first time offence, this could be suspended.
The trio pleaded guilty. Muller clarified that he was pleading guilty as an accomplice, although this has no bearing on the punishment.
The accused's lawyer told the court that they were prepared to pay the €6,445 to Transport Malta today, once their bank cards are returned to them by the police.
The court gave them time to reconsider their guilty plea, which however, they did not change.
Lawyer Malcolm Mifsud argued that the accused had cooperated fully, admitted and volunteered to pay for the damages. They also apologised for the incident, he said.
"They are Sea Watch activists," explained the lawyer. "The court is aware of the controversy on the immigration issue. They wanted to press a point but did not do so in the correct format. They are not even contesting the amount by saying it's inflated. It's a sacrifice for them," he said.
Mifsud disagreed with the prosecution's suggestion of a suspended sentence. The case didn't merit any prison sentence, but suggested a conditional discharge, he said. "I don't want this to be used later in an arm-twisting exercise between the authorities and Sea Watch."
The court, after having seen the law, upon their admission found the accused guilty of the charges and discharged the accused for three years, ordering that they pay Transport Malta within three days.
Lawyers Malcolm Mifsud and Gianluca Cappitta were defence counsel.
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Second ever case of semi-identical twins documented in Australia
The boy and the girl, now four, from Brisbane, in Australia, are identical on their mother's side, the BBC reports.
But they share only a proportion of their father's DNA - placing them, genetically, somewhere between fraternal and identical twins.
Experts say the phenomenon is extremely rare - embryos such as these often do not survive.
Prof Nicholas Fisk, who led the team that cared for the mother and twins at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in 2014, said the discovery was made through a routine pregnancy scan.
It is the first time semi-identical twins have been identified during pregnancy.
The first-time mother was 28 at the time and had conceived naturally, doctors said.
The case is being reported on in The New England Journal of Medicine.
"The mother's ultrasound at six weeks showed a single placenta and positioning of amniotic sacs that indicated she was expecting identical twins," Prof Fisk said.
"However, an ultrasound at 14 weeks showed the twins were male and female, which is not possible for identical twins."
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Grech Mintoff must pay €3,000 for ‘baby-killer’ slur against gay rights movement
Court says conservative activist knowingly made non-factual statements on social media to associate MGRM with funds from American pro choice organisation
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‘Don’t abuse your power’, Cacopardo tells PA Board as it indicates approval of Mellieha project
The PA Board has indicated its intention to approve an application proposing the construction of a hotel, shops and 120 residential unit development, despite arguments over the interpretation of policy.
While the case officer had recommended refusal, the majority of board members indicated their intention to overturn the recommendation and approve the project, and thus a final vote will be taken at a later date.
Carmel Cacopardo, appearing on behalf of the local council, warned the board not to abuse its power, with PN MP Robert Cutajar later expressing concern over the project. Conversely, the PN board representative voted in favour of overturning the refusal recommendation.
The proposal consists of two basement levels and nine levels (including ground floor) above ground from one of the sides. The building is stepped and only a small part would be that high. The site consists of a vacant plot of land, having an area of approximately 3,680m² within and at the edge of the development zone in Mellieha. The site falls just off the roundabout leading vehicular traffic to either the Mellieha Centre (Triq il-Kbira) or to the Mellieha Bypass (Triq Louis Wettinger), the case officer's report read.
The site in question is fully zoned as a residential area on the local plan, the board heard. The planning directorate argued that a hotel can still be built on the site as Mellieha is a tourism locality, and thus such development is allowed through the flexibility policy."Following the approval of the 'Partial Review of Subsidiary Plans – General Policy relating to regeneration/consolidation Initiatives', on 4 February 2013, the Planning Directorate could take a broader look at the overall mixture and similar uses in this area but with a more flexible approach than that implied by the uses listed in the local plan," the case officer's report read. The applicant highlighted that the hotel will be for around 47 rooms.
Cacopardo argued against this. He highlighted that the council is objecting to the hotel proposed in the proposal, and said that the policy will not allow such development on that site. Arguing against the use of the flexibility policy in this case, he quoted from it saying that "the goal of this flexibility policy is not intended to supersede the general direction given by the specific policies in the local plan. So the flexibility policy does not mean going against the local plan."
Cacopardo said that the flexibility policy also does not allow for any height increase from the area, and thus the extra hotel height through the hotel specific policy (which would allow for an extra two floors on the hotel element of the project), cannot be applied. He argued that due to the residential zone, the hotel part of the project cannot be approved. He said that when applying the flexibility policy, the PA will be obliged to explain why they would depart from established policies to apply it, and that the policy must not be implemented if it is diametrically opposed to the main policy.
"Don't abuse your power," Cacopardo warned.
The local councils' representative on the board agreed with Cacopardo's statements, and backed the Planning Directorate's interpretation regarding the sloping of the height, however the majority of the board did not agree with this, and voted to overturn the case officer's refusal recommendation and approve the development.
PN MP Robert Cutajar also spoke during the meeting and said that the visual impact of the project is seen, and said that this project will also affect the infrastructure of the locality. He also said that the local council was going to use that site for some form of use for the citizens. He questioned whether the Traffic Impact Assessment took into consideration the hundreds of apartments set to be built just 200m away. He also asked about the social impact, adding that this project should be taken in consideration with the other projects in the area.
Cutajar had previously spoken out on this application, and told The Malta Independent that up until 2013 when he was Mayor for the locality, the plan for the local council was that this land be developed for the common good, for the residents of the locality. He said that it was going to be a project for the local council to be developed into a centre which could be used by NGOs within the locality and could also have opened new tourism niches. He noted that while there are many hotels in Mellieha, few cater for conferences of a certain level, and he said that he wanted to attract such niches. Till halfway through 2013, he said, this land was used as a park and ride whenever the local council organised major events.
Despite Cutajar's concerns, the PN member on the board, Marthese Portelli, voted in favour of overturning the refusal recommendation.
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Turkish workers won't stay in Malta, construction company says
Taca Construction says plans for a temporary village in Mqabba to house Turkish workers have been dropped • 78 workers currently in Malta earn an average salary of €1,450
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TACA workers enjoy favourable conditions, company says
TACA Construction, the international building services company said today that its staff enjoys decent living and working conditions and that it is fully compliant with Malta's laws and regulations.
The company said it felt the need to issue a public statement to rectify the numerous inaccuracies reported in the media.
"We have a long-standing international reputation in the construction sector and are law-abiding citizens in each and every country where we are present. We are guests in Malta and we are following all the rules and will be paying tax as a Maltese entity," company spokesman Deha Türkel said.
The company was one of a number of international construction firms that bid for a tender on the redevelopment of the Fortina Hotel in Sliema and the DB Group's City Centre project on the former ITS site in St Julian's.
The company, which has eight offices around the world and specialises in the construction of super structures, has so far brought over 78 of its skilled workers to Malta. They earn an average salary of €1,450 and are provided with private healthcare insurance, flight tickets, free accommodation and three meals a day.
"Our employees, who have been with us for years, will be coming and going according to the needs of the projects we have been contracted to undertake. Their visa prevents them from bringing over their families and they have no intention of staying in Malta.
"Our workers would not be with us if we did not provide them with good conditions. We take care of them in every possible situation and they get paid more than they would at home because they are away from their families
"All our workers' paperwork is in order and above board. They are skilled individuals with international expertise," Türkel said.
TACA Construction has also dropped its plans to set up a temporary village – even though its workers prefer to live together as a community as they have done in other countries – and will instead be housing its employees in apartments.
Türkel said TACA Construction had sub-contracted Maltese contractors for equipment and machinery and is purchasing most of the construction supplies locally, thereby creating new economic opportunities for local industry.
"We bring a lot of expertise to the market through our extensive experience of large projects in other countries and we honestly cannot understand why we are being singled out for such attacks when we have done nothing wrong."
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Banks in good health but property boom poses risk, IMF country report says
The banking system is in good health and remains resilient but according to a review by the International Monetary Fund, the high exposure to property-related loans and rising house prices pose a risk
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Italian businessman’s allegation of police brutality an ‘outright lie’ – police union chief
The allegations of Fabrizio Sciré, who claimed that he was beaten up by members of the Rapid Intervention Unit in Zebbug last Saturday, are an "outright lie", the President of the Police Officer's Union within the General Workers Union Sandro Camilleri has said.
Speaking to inewsmalta, Camilleri said that he had been contacted by various people who had shown solidarity with the policemen involved but had questioned why the union had been silent. He said that the union had been silent thus far due to the fact that an investigation into the case was ongoing and that it would not have been proper to make any statements before the policemen involved had given their version.
Camilleri referred to footage published by certain sections of the media, saying that this was not published in its entirety and showed only part of the situation.
The police union chief added that in no part of the film did it show that the policemen were being aggressive towards the man, as is being alleged; on the contrary, he said, it was the Sciré himself who was being aggressive towards the police and at one point, he said, the Italian even grabbed one of the police by the neck.
Camilleri concluded that naturally the person who makes the allegation must substantiate the allegation and added that these policemen were heroes and that even in the extreme weather that there was on Saturday they had stopped to help. One must wait for the outcome of the investigations, he said, and then the union would move on from there.
A police spokesperson said on Tuesday that Sciré's allegation and the footage were being investigated and emphasised that the police had denied beating up Sciré and his son – who was also present at the scene. The Italian embassy has also been informed of the case and is carrying out investigations as well.
The Sicilian businessman set up shop in Malta's construction industry together with his family three years ago. He recounted to Times of Malta that last Saturday night, a neighbour of his stores in Żebbuġ informed him that one of his construction trucks, parked outside his stores, was on fire.
"I was desperate and in tears. I asked the police officers, already on site to help me move my other vehicles, which were also in danger of catching fire," he said.
According to Sciré, some of the police officers surrounded him and instead of helping him started pushing him and calling him names.
"At that point, one of the officers starting pushing me to the wall and punching me violently on the head while other officers joined in and kicked me in other parts of my body. Another police officer hit me on the head with his radio," Sciré said.
He added that, his eldest son, who was present while the police were beating him, intervened to try to diffuse the situation.
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Anonymous group marks 500 days since death of Caruana Galizia
Rezistenza Malta take press to task for not ensuring that police were leaving no stone unturned in investigation of Caruana Galizia assassination
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Q4: Number of guests increase, bed nights remained at par – NSO
Total guests in collective accommodation establishments during the fourth quarter of 2018 increased by 3.8 per cent when compared to the corresponding quarter in 2017, while total nights spent remained at par with the previous year, the NSO said today.
In the fourth quarter, total guests in collective accommodation establishments numbered 449,749, while total nights spent amounted to almost 2.2 million. The largest share of guest nights was reported in 4-star hotels, accounting for nearly 1.1 million nights, or 49.6 per cent of the total.
The average length of stay in collective accommodation establishments went down to 4.8 nights in the fourth quarter of 2018 from the average of 5.0 nights registered during the same quarter of 2017. The net use of bed-places stood at 57.1 per cent, down by 1.1 percentage points when compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year.
During December 2018, there were 191 active collective accommodation establishments with a net capacity of 18,043 bedrooms and 40,966 bed-places on a national level.
Regional breakdown
On a regional level, total guests in Malta numbered 429,478, up by 4.4 per cent over the fourth quarter of 2017. Additionally, an increase of 0.3 per cent was recorded in the number of nights spent. Total guests and nights spent in Gozo and Comino decreased by 6.3 per cent and 7.5 per cent, to 20,271 and 66,669 respectively.
In Malta, the average length of stay stood at 4.9 nights, down by 0.2 of a night when compared with the same quarter of the previous year and that in Gozo and Comino stood at 3.3 nights at par with the previous year. The net occupancy rate in Malta decreased by 0.9 percentage points, reaching 58.0 per cent, and that in Gozo and Comino decreased by 3.4 percentage points to 39.3 per cent over the same quarter of 2017.
January-December 2018
In 2018, total guests reached almost 2.0 million, an increase of 8.4 per cent over the same period in 2017. Total nights spent went up by 5.6 per cent, surpassing 10.1 million. The net use of bed-places advanced by 2.0 percentage points to 67.6 per cent.
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Cosmopolitan Sliema: 29% of residents are not Catholic, survey finds
Social impact assessment exposes cultural and religious diversity apart from distrust in planning institutions
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Fearne confirms psychiatrist’s involvement in Mount Carmel admission of former policeman
Health Minister Chris Fearne told The Malta Independent yesterday that, according to information he has, a psychiatrist had indeed initiated the procedure for the involuntary admission of Mario Portelli to Mount Carmel Hospital.
Mario Portelli, a former policeman who was the star witness in the HSBC heist court case, recently filmed himself being taken by several police officers sparking controversy. In the video clip, which went viral on social media, Portelli claimed he was being taken to Mount Carmel Hospital as he wanted to confront Prime Minister Joseph Muscat at a political rally on Sunday morning. Portelli had also recently asserted that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat owns Egrant, and this after a magisterial inquiry found no evidence of this.
During the HSBC heist court sentence, the court slammed the testimony of Mario Portelli, who had made the allegations against former Police Inspector and lawyer David Gatt saying that he played a role in the robbery. The court said that Portelli's testimony was entirely unbelievable, and contradicted material facts. The court had also noted that Portelli's medical file "doesn't speak well of his mental health," news reports from the trial read.
In the recent video clip which Portelli posted on social media, he said that a number of policemen came to take him away to a mental institution "They are saying I am mad. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat sent the police to take him to Mt Carmel Hospital so that he would not to expose him on Sunday. The police are here. There are no doctors here."
After this situation was aired live on Facebook, the Alliance for Mental Health issued a statement, saying they wrote to the CEO of Mount Carmel Hospital, the Commissioner for Mental Health and the Police Board asking them to investigate the way in which the former policeman was taken to hospital.
"The A4MH refers to the recent distressing images in local media, without wishing to comment on the specific case, of which it does not know the details. The A4MH, which is constituted by representatives of the professionals and the service users of the mental health services, is highly aware of the distress that involuntary admission to a psychiatric hospital can cause, primarily to the person concerned and their families, and also to the professionals that are involved in the case. The A4MH recognises that there are situations where involuntary hospitalisation is unavoidable. However, there are stringent requirements laid down by law through the Mental Health Act that govern the procedures for such admission."
The alliance then went on to list the requirements for such a procedure which are needed.
This newsroom yesterday asked Health Minister Chris Fearne about the situation.
"There are two possible procedures by which a patient can go to Mt Carmel Hospital. The first is voluntarily, by the patient deciding that they need care themselves, or involuntarily – when a patient was not the one to decide that they need to go to Mt Carmel Hospital. When there is an involuntary admission, it would always be instigated and started by a psychiatrist, as happened in this case. I am informed that the Commissioner for Mental Health, like every other case of involuntary admission, is investigating the case and I asked him to pass on the complete report to me once it is done."
Asked whether this means he is confirming that the involuntary admission was based on the report of a psychiatrist he again stressed that all cases regarding involuntary admission are done on medical orders. "Obviously there are forensic cases where the court decides but medical cases would all have started on the order of a doctor, generally a psychiatrist. I am informed that in this case this is what happened, however the Commissioner for Mental Health is investigating and I await his report.
Asked whether when a person is involuntarily taken to the psychiatric hospital medical personnel have to be on site, he said that generally what happens is that the doctor makes the request and starts the process. "Then either the relatives and sometimes the police if needed, assist the person to be admitted to Mt Carmel Hospital."
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Depasquale, Micallef Stafrace tipped to be named judges
Magistrates Francesco Depasquale and Yana Micallef Stafrace are tipped to be named judges in the next few days, The Malta Independent has learnt.
The daughter-in-law of Labour Party lawyer Pawlu Lia is also expected to be named a magistrate, as reported by The Malta Independent a few weeks ago.
Nadine Lia nee Sant is expected to be named a magistrate to fill the void left by the appointments of Depasquale and Micallef Stafrace.
Depasquale was made magistrate in 2011 and was assigned all libel and defamation cases.
Yana Micallef Stafrace, daughter of forrmer Labour MP Joseph Micallef Stafrace was appointed to the Bench in April 2017.
Nadine Sant recently served as a legal advisor for the Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Business, and as the chairperson of the Family Business Act committee, under Economy Minister Chris Cardona.
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Number of amputations due to diabetes falls 30% – Minister Fearne
Health Minister Chris Fearne said that last year, fewer major and minor amputations were recorded than in previous years.
There were 30% fewer major amputations as a result of a national plan to tackle diabetes, he said visiting the Diabetic Foot Ward at Mater Dei Hospital.
Interventions on the toes and foot are considered to be minor while amputations beneath or above the knee are considered major.
The minister spoke of the national diabetes plan introduced three years ago, and mentioned new medicine which has been introduced since then.
He mentioned that this particular ward was introduced in order to offer all related services, as in the past such diabetics were spread in different wards around the hospital. The ward itself has 15 beds and was opened back in December 2017. The ward offers specialised care.
Since it was opened 15 months ago, the ward received 750 patients, the minister said.
While the number of major amputations due to diabetes has been on the decline, he said, last year also saw a reduction in the number of minor amputations, highlighting that issues are being caught earlier and thus can be controlled.
The minister said that the government distributed 27,000 pieces of equipment by which patients could measure their glucose levels, while 30,000 diabetes patients receive diabetes sticks free of charge at a cost of €16 million. Another 3,000 patients receive new medicines against diabetes.
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PBS disassociates itself from TVM presenter’s partisan comments
The national television station has disassociated itself from partisan online comments made by one of its presenters - Jean Claude Micallef.
Micallef's post was related to the viral video of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and his wife Michelle jumping and chanting political songs during a party held at Girgenti Palace – the PM's official summer residence. The video went viral on social media last week.
Taking the PM's defence, Micallef, who hosts a daily afternoon show on TVM, asked who had a bigger right to celebrate that "the person who had the biggest political success in Malta's history and who had brought success to the country."
Micallef said certain individuals who had decried the video did not even realise how envious they were being.
Among them was a person "who had been caught going abroad with his lady friend behind his wife's back, and who pretended to be a purist," Micallef wrote, in an obvious reference to PN MP Jason Azzopardi.
Others included someone who had failed the systems he had been entrusted with and failed at the elections, someone who had got drunk on public finances and later dug into his own party's finances and someone who still cannot understand how the people who he was taught were inferior to him became immeasurable successes.
"L-ghira oht il-genn," he wrote – a Maltese saying which loosely translates into "envy leads to madness."
Micallef regularly posts comments of a political or partisan nature.
Replying to questions by this newspaper, Reno Bugeja, PBS News and Current Affairs Manager and a member of the editorial board said the station was disassociating itself from Micallef's comments.
While the comments were made in Micallef's personal capacity and not within the context of the show he presents, PBS still feels that the broadcasting guidelines should be applied in cases like this one and the station has brought the matter to the attention of the said presenter, Bugeja said, in a reply which was also carbon copied to PBS Chairman Tonio Portughese.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Broadcasting Authority said the matter should be addressed to PBS given that, according to Subsidiary Legislation 350.14 any off air activity, including writing which can lead to any doubt about their objectivity on air, should be addressed by the public service broadcaster.
"As the legislation states, such rules are not enforceable by the Broadcasting Authority but may be applied by the public service broadcaster."
The BA quoted the relevant parts of the Subsidiary Legislation, which says that "producers of news and current affairs programmes should have no outside interests or commitments which could damage the public service broadcaster 's reputation for impartiality, fairness and integrity."
Another section of the legislation says that "Those known to the public primarily as presenters of, or reporters on, news programmes or programmes about current affairs broadcast on the public service broadcaster must be seen to be impartial. It is important that no off-air activity, including writing, the giving of interviews or the making of speeches, lead to any doubt about their objectivity on-air. If such presenters or reporters publicly express personal views off-air on controversial issues, then their on-air role may be severely compromised. It is crucial that in both their work with the public service broadcaster and in other non-public service broadcasting activities such as writing, speaking or giving interviews, they do not: (i) state how they vote or express support for any political party; (ii) express views for or against any policy which is a matter of current party political debate; (iii) advocate any particular position on an issue of current public controversy or debate; and (iv) exhort a change in high profile public policy.
Micallef's Facebook post was still online by late yesterday afternoon.
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You can play for the $348 million Powerball jackpot from Malta. Here’s how
American lotteries are known for their incredible prizes. Playing them online is now possible.
You may have heard that the American Mega Millions lottery awarded a mind-boggling $1.537 billion USD jackpot to a single lucky winner in October 2018. That huge prize fell just short of setting a world record. The other huge American lottery, Powerball, awarded a $1.586 billion USD jackpot to three lucky winners in January 2016.
Powerball currently offers a $348 million USD jackpot, modest in comparison, but winning such a prize would be life-changing event. You undoubtedly share dreams of lottery riches but traveling to the United States to purchase your tickets is not really feasible.
Luckily, there's a way you can play the Powerball lottery from your home in Malta!
How do you play American lotteries from Malta?
The easy solution for residents of Malta is using the services of theLotter, the world's leading online ticket purchasing service. TheLotter uses local agents in the United States to buy official lottery tickets on behalf of its customers. The website charges customers a transaction fee and in return they receive a scan of their tickets before the draw. No commissions are taken from winning tickets.
Over the years, theLotter.com has paid out more than $90 million USD in prizes to over 4 million winners from across the globe. Some of the biggest winners at theLotter.com have been a woman from Panama who won a $30 million USD Florida Lotto jackpot prize and a man from Iraq who won $6.4 million USD in the Oregon Megabucks lottery. As the international media reported, it is perfectly legal for foreigners to win American lottery prizes by purchasing official tickets online at theLotter.
Powerball boasts the biggest lottery jackpot prize in the world
Players are impressed by how easy it is to purchase official lottery tickets online and they have come to trust the purchasing services of theLotter. Playing the lottery online at theLotter is safe and secure. Players can purchase tickets to the world's biggest lotteries including Powerball, Mega Million, EuroMillions, the Italian SuperEnalotto, EuroJackpot, and more.
Playing these lotteries online with ticket purchasing service theLotter can help make dreams of lottery riches come true.
For more information how to play Powerball online from Malta, please visit theLotter.com.
Lotto Direct Limited is operating thelotter.com. Lotto Direct Limited is licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority; License Reference MGA/B2C/402/2017. +18 only. Gambling can be harmful if not controlled. Please play responsibly. For more information visit https://www.gamcare.org.uk
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Raising begins of Malta-flagged frigate that sank after collision
The operation has begun to raise a Norwegian naval frigate that sank last year in a harbor north of Bergen following a collision with an oil tanker.
Anders Penna of the salvage company in charge of raising the KNM Helge Ingstad says it is "very complex and demanding operation," adding it could take up to six days.
Penna says the plan is to put the frigate on a barge and transport it to a navy base where the damage will be assessed.
Two giant cranes on Tuesday began raising the 134-meter (442-foot) vessel that collided Nov. 8 with Maltese-flagged oil tanker Sola TS, tearing a large hole in the frigate's side.
The cause of the accident has not yet been established. No one was injured.
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‘We will rebuild’ – MEP Metsola visits businesses devastated by storm
In an emotional visit to Maltese businesses destroyed in last weekend's storm, Member of the European Parliament for Malta and Gozo, Roberta Metsola promised to continue to do her utmost to help those affected to get back on their feet.
"It is so moving to be here and to see thriving businesses, farms and waterpolo clubs reduced to rubble overnight. But the thing that struck me the most was the determination of those who lost everything to pick up and start again. There was no sense of hopelessness, just resolve to come back and to come back stronger. We will rebuild.", said MEP Metsola on a visit to St Paul's Bay - one of the worst hit localities in Malta and Gozo.
"This is a moment for coming together and I've been in constant contact over the last days with the highest levels of the European Commission to push for tangible European funds to help the rebuilding effort and with Government to ensure that as MEPs we will continue to do what we can to help.
Europe has a role to play, and when disaster strikes in one State it often brings out the best of the spirit of solidarity within our community of nations. We will help Government with efforts to secure tangible European solidarity and to ensure not only funding but that we use all the tools we have as an EU Member State to make sure we are better prepared next time", added MEP Metsola.
MEP Metsola underlined that while EU funds are being sought, Government could and should step in to help in the immediate aftermath of the storm.
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Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Seven-year-old boy critical after falling off fence
A seven-year-old boy suffered serious injuries when he fell of a fence on Wednesday evening, the police said today.
The accident took place in Triq ix-Xatt , Ghajnsielem, at 6.30pm.
The boy was first taken to Gozo General Hospital but was later transferred to Mater Dei Hospital via a helicopter.
Magistrate Paul Coppini is conducting an inquiry.
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Child seriously injured after falling off fence in Gozo
The 7-year-old has been transferred by helicopter to Mater Dei Hospital for further treatment
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Judicial promotions for Francesco Depasquale and Yana Micallef Stafrace
Judicial promotions for Francesco Depasquale and Yana Micallef Stafrace • Nadine Sant, daughter-in-law of Labour Party lawyer Pawlu Lia, tipped for magistrate
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VRT cheat who admitted to wrong charges sees three-year jail term reduced
A man who was jailed three years last year on charges of trading in influence, has had his sentence changed following a retrial after it emerged that police charged him with the wrong offence.
In January 2017, Godfrey Formosa was charged with trading in influence, knowingly making use of falsified documents, making a false declaration to a public authority, falsifying a VRT certificate and driving a car without a road license
Formosa, who was not assisted by a lawyer, pleaded guilty and was jailed for three years. He engaged lawyer Stefano Filletti a month later and an appeal was filed.
In his appeal, Formosa's lawyer argued that when an accused person is unassisted by a lawyer, it is incumbent on the court to ensure that the arrest is valid and that there are the necessary legal prerequisites for the charges brought against him.
The lawyer argued that what Formosa had admitted to did not amount to trading in influence, while also noting that the first court's sentence had not taken into account the fact that he had cooperated with the police and had admitted to the charges early on.
In October 2017, the court presided over by Judge Edwina Grima, said it not close its eyes to the shortcomings, declaring the sentence null and ordering a retrial.
Its sentence which was handed down today, the court agreed that the there was an obligation to ascertain whether there was a strong legal basis to the charges brought against any accused.
The court said that Formosa's statement showed that the police's line of questioning pertained to a crime other than trading in influence and that the man had never admitted to this.
Despite this, the court noted that the police had charged the man with trading in influence. "How could the accused have known that a simple statement released to the police would result in the charges brought against him being changed."
The court noted that the man was clearly an accomplice in the issuing of false VRT certificates but noted that trading in influence meant a "person A promising or paying someone else (B) to influence in an undue manner a third person C".
On whether the sentence was disproportionate, given Formosa's guilty plea and cooperation, the court remarked that the first court had stated that it had no objection to Formosa being handed the minimum possible punishment.
"This does not mean that the minimum punishment should have been the minimum effective jail term but rather a minimum punishment."
The sentence, the court noted, would result in Formosa losing his business and was disproportionate beyond being punitive.
As regards the charge of falsifying a VRT certificate, the court observed that the alleged falsification had not been carried out by Formosa himself, but rather by the people he had paid to issue the certificate.
The court therefore did not find Formosa guilty of trading in influence or forging the certificate but confirmed the guilty verdict in relation to the remaining charges.
Formosa was sentenced to one year in jail suspended to two years. He was also handed a €150 fine.
Lawyer Stefano Filletti appeared for Formosa.
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No deal reached between Trump, Kim at second summit
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un have failed to reach an agreement at their second summit in Vietnam, but talks between the two nations will continue in the future.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says the two leaders discussed denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. She adds: "No agreement was reached at this time, but their respective teams look forward to meeting in the future."
Still, Sanders is describing the meetings between Trump and Kim as "very good and constructive."
Trump and Kim departed the hotel where they've been holding summit negotiations far earlier than planned Thursday. A joint agreement signing ceremony was scrapped.
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Vietnam summit: North Korean leader talks up denuclearisation
North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has told reporters that he would not be at a summit with US President Donald Trump if he were not ready to denuclearise
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PN will guarantee everyone’s right to have a roof over their head -Delia
A PN government will guarantee everyone has a right to have a roof over their heads, Nationalist Party Leader Adrian Delia said on Wednesday evening.
Closing off the PN's General Council, Delia spoke about the challenged being faced by young couples who were finding it hard to afford to buy or rent property. "We are a party that believes in life, but we also believe that people have a right decent living."
He accused the government of only being interested in importing cheap labour. "We are not against foreign workers," he said, "but the repercussions of this government's policies will be felt for many years to come."
Delia said there were 72,000 people at risk of poverty. The government has a duty to be there for these people as well and to ensure that wealth is distributed equally and justly, he said.
The government says it is pro-business but is only interested in big business. It is ensuring that salaries remain low and had increased taxes on anything from detergents, to cement to mobile phones, he said. "Muscat is interested in those who can spend €5,000 a day when we are interested in seeing how we can help those who cannot get by with €10,000 a year."
The PN Leader focused part of his speech on democracy, which, he said, was under threat. "Every commentator, report and entity investigating our country is saying this."
He referred to the Ombudsman's report on army promotions, which looked into several fast-tracked promotions that took place soon after the 2013 general election. The Ombudsman concluded that the process was vitiated and carried out only to rubberstamp decisions that had already been taken by the administration.
"This government was elected democratically but soon after started hijacking the institutions. Something similar is happening within the police force, where the government changed commissioners until it found someone who is a puppet for Castille," Delia said.
"The same can be said for the Attorney General's Office, which today defends the government instead of the country."
Delia said the government had also given out three state hospitals for free. "They say that power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts in absolute ways."
He also referred to the recent report about the Algerian visas scandal, and the Venice Commission report, which expressed serious doubts about the rule of law in Malta and the way in which the institutions operate.
The PN will not allow the government to leave the institutions in this state. These changes have to happen now, not after the constitutional reform, he said.
A report by Transparency International gave Malta its worst ranking ever, he said.
"This is a government that refused to take action against Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi despite the FIAU reports. It allowed corruption at the FTS to go on unabated. Yet it sacked FIAU whistleblower Jonathan Ferris. The corrupt cannot fight corruption; they cannot give us justice and are not worthy to lead the country."
Quoting the Economist, he said Malta and Cyprus have a reputation of financial sleaze.
This is the legacy that Joseph Muscat would leave behind him, he said.
Muscat allowed banks like Pilatus Bank to set up shop, and the Satabank situation to develop in the way that it did.
He spoke about the Australia Hall case, which saw the government drop a court case and gift the property to the Labour Party. He referred to the Café Premier scandal, the American University of Malta and the Vitals deal.
"If the government tries to take even one metre of land to use not in the national interest it will find us here ready to stop them, to defend the interests of the people. You do not have the power in this country. We will fight the good fight, for the common interest," he said, when referring to the Corinthia deal.
Closing off his speech, Delia said the PN refuses to sell Malta's hospitals, citizenship and principles.
The PN wants to safeguard the environment, revive the cultural sector and give power back to local councils. "We want the country to gain back the respect it has lost."
"The PN will be the natural party for workers, local councils, technology, education – this is why we are united, one voice. We are together for our country," he concluded.
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The Nationalist Party will keep fighting for the people’s interests – Adrian Delia
Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia, addressing the final session of the party's General Council, said that democracy was in jeopardy in Malta, but that his party would be fighting to restore it
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VRT cheat who admitted to wrong charges sees three-year jail term reduced
The police had charged the man with trading in influence despite there not being the legal prerequisites for them to do so
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