1745- Latest News update
Times of Malta says data from Daphne Caruana Galizia’s mobile phone had been checked for threatening messages which could possibly shed light on her murder but the results of that analysis have not yet been presented in the case against the businessman accused of complicity in her murder.
MaltaToday says the Nationalist Party’s strategy to side-line old-timers may have worked to elect new faces to parliament but it failed to win over new votes, Clyde Puli said.
Newsbook says the Ombudsman warned that if ministries’ ‘customer care’ services are not independent and autonomous “they can easily develop into mechanisms which generate cronyism, clientelism and political patronage that are the antithesis of good public administration.”
TVM says two men were arrested after allegations they robbed a vegetable vendor and were caught in possession of drugs.
Updated 1300 – Mid-Day Briefing
Rapid tests to be accepted for travel into Malta: The Maltese health authorities will be accepting both PCR and rapid tests for travel to the island, a move that has long been called for by tourism organisations and lobby groups. Earlier this week, Health Minister Chris Fearne announced Malta will finally be easing travel restrictions and would start allowing travellers who are not vaccinated to come to the island without forcing them to quarantine. According to the notice both the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) and the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test will be accepted, although the latter can be done earlier.
Judge refuses Yorgen Fenech’s request for Caruana Galizia mobile access: A judge has rejected a request by Yorgen Fenech’s lawyers to be given copies of data retrieved from two mobile phones belonging to murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The lawyers had argued that before the defence had all the evidence in hand, it would encounter difficulty in preparing its defence. The Court is also expected to decide on another request for bail presented by Fenech.
Covid-19 Update: Another 659 new COVID-19 cases were detected during the past 24 hours. Four more persons passed away after being infected with coronavirus.
Morning Briefing
Government optimistic on Malta’s greylist exit – sources
Government appears to be optimistic that Malta will manage to exit the FATF grey-list as early as June, according to a Times of Malta reporting quoting sources close to Castille. Currently assessors are in Malta to evaluate whether Malta has made enough progress to merit a removal from the enchanced monitoring procedure. The country was grey-listing a year ago particularly over concerns related to tax evasion and incomplete data related to ultimate beneficial ownership.
Record cocaine haul in Freeport
A record cocaine haul by Customs, with 800kg of powder, having a street value of €108.2 million, found hidden in a container at Malta Freeport. The Customs Department said that the discovery was made during scanning of a 40ft container following intelligence. The operation, in which several containers were screened, started on Wednesday and continued on Thursday. It has been reported that the container originated from Colombia and was en route to Turkey. The drug was hidden in banana boxes.
Malta should look beyond tax incentives – Metsola
Malta’s tax rebate to foreign companies can only serve as an incentive for “a little while longer”, Roberta Metsola has told financial services practitioners. The EP President said discussions on a global tax rate are ongoing and urged Malta to be involved in “steering and shaping” discussions. “We need to look further at what makes Malta truly attractive and our tax rebate to foreign companies will be a leg we can stand on only for a little while longer,” she warned in a speech at the annual conference of the Institute of Financial Services Practitioners. Metsola told practitioners that Malta should be taking its seat at the table of global discussions on tax. “The reality is that we need to see how to work within that context rather than outside it.” (Maltatoday)
