Updated 1700
Newsbook leads with the news that Alfred Degiorgio, one of the three men who admitted to the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, has requested CCTV footage from the day he admitted to the crime in court in October 2022. The AG Office is seeking to block the request.
The Times of Malta reports that a 76-year-old man died on Tuesday after falling off the roof of his house in Tarxien.
Maltatoday says that workers at St Luke’s Hospital took the time to thank Nationalist MP Adrian Delia for his court victory on the Vitals-Steward case after a PN press conference outside the hospital on Tuesday.
The Malta Independent reports that two pedestrians were taken to hospital after they were hit by a car and a motorbike in separate accidents on Tuesday, the police said.
Updated 1220
61% of restaurant workers are foreign – MHRA: 61% of those working in restaurants are foreign nationals, according to a survey commissioned by the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) to look into the industry. The survey also found that 56% of restaurants were family-owned businesses, with the vast majority of those (72%) being a first-generation business. In an address, MHRA president Tony Zahra said that the outlook for 2023 looked promising, given the recent recovery that the tourism sector had undergone, but called on more efforts to focus on the quality of the service offered. (The Malta Independent)
Former Minister claims Mosta valley land purchased for development: Former Labour minister Evarist Bartolo has revealed that a company linked to construction entrepreneur Joseph Portelli has allegedly purchased a large piece of ODZ land in Mosta’s Wied tal-Isperanza for €4.7 million. The value, Bartolo said, indicative of the planned development’s magnitude. (Newsbook)
GDP grew by 6.9% in 2022: Provisional NSO estimates indicate that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for 2022 amounted to €16,870.3 million, registering an increase of €1,868.4 million, or 12.5 per cent, when compared to 2021. In volume terms, GDP rose by 6.9 per cent. The drivers behind this growth were services and industry, which contributed to the lion’s share of growth. Conversely, construction had a negative contribution of 0.3 percentage points. Compared to last year, Service activities increased by 9%, industry by 7.6% whereas construction dropped by 7.0%.
Police request Vince Muscat testimony on aborted plot to kill Caruana Galizia: The police commissioner has requested a copy of Vince Muscat’s testimony, a week after the hitman testified about an alleged aborted plot to kill Daphne Caruana Galizia in the years before she was assassinated. The request was made by means of an application filed in the records of an action for damages filed by Caruana Galizia’s family against a number of players allegedly involved in the car bomb explosion that killed the journalist outside her Bidnija home in October 2017. (Times of Malta)
Morning Briefing
Crowd demands return of state hospitals, PM refutes responsibility
A large crowd gathered at Freedom Square on Monday evening to demand the return of three state hospitals, following the annulment of the Vitals-Steward hospitals deal. The protest was called by the Nationalist Party after a Court struck down the concession describing it as fraudulent. Meanwhile, the Opposition demanded an urgent debate in Parliament. During a heated exchange, PM Robet Abela refused to say who will shoulder responsibility over the fiasco, simply stating that his priority was “continue taking the best decisions in the national interest.” Abela also denied being consuled on the concession. (Times of Malta)
Abela gave money to Steward despite knowing deal was corrupt – Grech
Prime Minister Robert Abela continued to give money to Steward Health Care despite knowing that the deal which saw three public hospitals sold to them was corrupt, PN leader Bernard Grech said in Parliament on Monday. Health Minister Chris Fearne told Parliament on Monday that had the government followed the PN’s advice of kicking Steward Health Care out of the hospitals concession immediately, then the country would have had to fork out €100 million. He added that he had already asked for the VGH agreement to be investigated in the past, noting that the National Audit Office had carried out its own investigation into it. (The Malta Independent)
Karl Cini claims fundamental rights broken by Speaker
Nexia BT partner Karl Cini has filed a constitutional case, claiming his fundamental rights had been breached by a ruling by the Speaker of Parliament Anglu Farrugia, who had found a prima facie breach of privilege after Cini refused to testify before the Public Accounts Committee. Cini had been summoned to testify before the PAC about the Auditor General’s investigation into the tenders awarded to ElectroGas Ltd for the construction and operation of a power station and an LNG terminal. (Maltatoday)
