Our morning headlines roundup and our Maltese newspaper review follows.
MaltaToday leads with a report about the suspension of Fisheries Department General Director Andreina Farrugia Fenech after phone taps by Spanish authorities claim she was taking bribes from tuna operator Jose Fuentes. Fenech Farrugia, who the paper says was called ‘The Boss’, has denied the charges.
The Times follows the story, too, and quotes sources close to the case who said that the allegations of corruption within the Fisheries Department were only ‘the tip of the iceberg.’ The paper says Farrugia Fenech already occupied the same post when she was removed in 2010, for her to be then reinstated in 2013, with a change in government.
The Malta Independent says that Jose Fuentes is the vice president of one of the biggest players in tuna fishing around the world. Spanish newspaper El Confidencial published transcripts of phone conversations in which Farrugia Fenech asks Fuentes for payments.
In-Nazzjon covers the story, too, and says that the Fuentes group has tuna farming operations in Malta as well. The paper says that the case indicates that Malta was the centre of an international web of criminal activity through where illegally caught fish was funnelled.
MaltaToday quotes the PN’s spokesperson for the environment Jason Azzopardi who said that land reclamation should not be a solution to construction waste problems. Azzopardi said the party is not against land reclamation as long as it is planned within a log-term vision.
The Times says that recent data shows that the southern harbour region has the highest rate of mental health risks. Figures tabled in parliament by the Minister for Social Solidarity Michael Falzon reveals that the locality with most cases is Birkirkara, with 30 patients receiving help.
The Malta Independent says that classes introduced to encourage young people to complete their Secondary Education Certificate resulted in a pass rate of less than 30 percent. The paper says that the rate saw an annual decrease since inception in 2014, where 50 percent of student passed.
L-Orizzont covers the replies by Justice Minister Owen Bonnici to questions about the judiciary in Malta by the European Parliament. The Minister said that the country’s system is functioning well and that government is willing to strengthen it further.
In-Nazzjon quotes PN Leader Adrian Delia who said that the government does not have any plans on how to counter the effects of increase in population. Delia said that the government itself is responsible for the problems faced with this situation.
L-Orizzont quotes Caritas Director Anthony Gatt who said that some 250 people requested emergency shelter in 2017, while Dar Papa Franġisku serves around 50 meals every day. Gatt says that shelters do not give people their full dignity.
