Updated 1030
Malta loses ground on Transparency index: Malta continued to lose ground in Transparency International’s corruption index, obtaining a 51 ranking as opposed to 53 last year. Countries are ranked on a scale from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). The report suggests that Malta’s score is negatively affected by continued concerns for media freedom and political interference in public media and for the fight against organised crime. “A state of impunity persists with no convictions in cases of high-level corruption”, Transparency suggests.
Portelli’s MFA registration refused: In an unusually exciting transfer deadline day for Maltese football, the Malta Football Association has first accepted enterpreneur Joseph Portelli’s resignation as Hamrun president, but later turned down his registration as a player, referring his case to its ethics committee. The MFA administration wrote back to the Hamrun club calling on them to provide assurances that the contractual obligations with players will be honoured, should Portelli no longer be president.
74 persons imprisoned over prostitution offences: 74 persons have been serving a prison sentence in the Corradino Corrective Facility since 2013 over prostitution-related offences, according to figures tabled in Parliament this week. This was revealed by Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri, who explained that since 2013, 53 persons have been charged in Court for living off prostitution. Of these, 22 were of foreign nationality, while the rest are Maltese. 23 of the 53 were women, while the rest were men.
Updated 0900 – More tremors felt in Malta
A tremor measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale was felt across Malta on Monday evening, with reports suggesting that this was the longest in a recent spate of earthquakes. The seismic activity was automatically recorded as measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale according to the University of Malta’s Geosciences Department’s Seismic Monitoring and Research Group. Another 3.7 magnitude tremor was recorded early on Tuesday. (Times of Malta)
Morning Briefing
Vitals judgement postponed to 24 February
A highly-anticipated final decision in the case filed by former PN leader Adrian Delia over the Vitals Global Healthcare scandal has been postponed to next month due to the complexity of the case. Delia had instituted a case, asking Court to rescind a €60 million hospital concession. Judge Francesco Depasquale however adjourned the case to 24 February, decreeing that “in view of the complexity and nature of the case the court requires a little more time than predicted to conclude and finalise the judgement.”
Chamber of Advocates joins chorus of disapproval on PM-Magistrate exchanges
Any dialogue between members of the judiciary and the executive is not allowed by the judiciary’s code of ethics, unless this is cleared by the chief justice, the Chamber of Advocates said. Last Sunday, PM Robert Abela admitted that a magistrate had told him that many harsh penalties end up being eased after the accused takes the case to the Court of Appeal. The CoA also condemned the PM for taking Nationalist MPs who are lawyers by profession and who debate legal issues in the House. “Political participation transcends the demands of individual cases the lawyer may be representing and is the expression of a personal opinion that should not limit the lawyer from carrying out his or her professional duties”, the Chamber said.
Carnival enthusiasts get new tractors and trailers for a sustainable celebration
In the upcoming edition of Carnival in February, Festivals Malta will use 20 new tractors equipped with modern technology. These will be used by the Carnival participants to transport their trailers from their warehouses to Valletta, as well as during Carnival celebrations to navigate their floats around the streets of Valletta, in the safest possible way. This investment also includes 20 new trailers that will be used as of next year’s edition of the festival.
