Updated 1800 – Newsportal Review
The Times of Malta reports that Malta’s UN bid included a €20,550 bill for silk scarves, ties from designers Charles and Ron. Malta was uncontested for non-permanent member seat on the security council for a two-year term.
Maltatoday reports that a 65-year-old man from Mosta has been placed under treatment and probation orders after he admitted to having committed a non-consensual sexual act on an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) student whom he was hosting.
Newsbook: A court was told that Richmond Tong never asked for medical assistance on the night in which he died in police custody as the compilation of evidence against the two officers deemed responsible for his death opened on Thursday.
The Malta Independent: Repubblika has summoned Joseph Muscat’s lawyer to testify after Magistrate refuses to recuse herself. Aquilina said the Pilatus Bank inquiry had called for charges against the bank, its chair Ali Sadr and five other people. It also called for fresh investigations to establish who owns the once-secret company Egrant.
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Libya insists on right to monies held at BOV: Libya is asking the Maltese courts to throw out an appeal filed by the heirs of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and release in its favour over €94 million held in Bank of Valletta accounts. The legal battle has been ongoing for over ten years, since Gaddafi’s violent overthrow and death in 2011. The Libyan government has always viewed the funds, held under a Maltese company called Capital Resources Limited, as illicit gains and is therefore considering itself as the legitimate owner of these funds. It has been reported that this issue was also raised by the Libyan PM in the meeting with the Maltese Prime Minister which took place yesterday.
460 migrants seeking safe port:The SOS Mediterranee charity said that it is seeking a port to safely unload 460 people rescued from the sea in 10 different operations last week who are now packed onto its Ocean Viking rescue ship. “There is an overwhelming number of medical cases, including exhaustion, dehydration, generalized body pain, untreated infections,” the charity said Wednesday. The European charity has requested ports of safety in Malta and Italy, but still has not received a response., it said. In parallel, NGO Alarm Phone has expressed concern about a boat with around 80 people on board in distress in Malta’s search-and-rescue area, particularly after two merchant vessels went on site and left without providing assistance.
PN calls for responsibility on driving test scandal: PN leader Bernard Grech said politicians must be held accountable and face justice like anyone else in reaction to the driving test corruption scandal. Speaking on radio, Grech said that Labour had normalised corruption and “everything is dependent on ministers.” Three Transport Malta employees were charged in court after allegedly helping candidates pass their driving test, with one of the men telling investigators that he felt “pressured” to help certain people pass their test “because they were working at a villa belonging to a government minister.”
Libyans should decide their country’s future – PM Abela
Libya’s future should only be decided by its citizens and leaders and there should be no “external influences”, PM Robert Abela said on Wednesday. He was addressing reporters following a meeting with Libya’s prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. Dbeibah, the prime minister of the Tripoli-based government arrived in Malta on Wednesday afternoon for a two-day visit following violent clashes in the capital Tripoli. According to media reports, among the issues tackled by the two leaders were the resumption of flights between the two countries and the issue of Libyan monies held within the now defunct Satabank. (Newsbook)
Maltese firm faces wrath of US regulator
A Malta-based advisory firm has been charged along with its owners with defrauding clients out of more than $75 million by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the American financial services regulator.In a statement earlier this week, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said it had charged two North Carolina-based executives, Gregory Lindberg and Christopher Herwig, and their Malta-based registered investment advisory, Standard Advisory Services Limited in court. Meanwhile, Standard Advisory Services Ltd. said it is disappointed by the SEC lawsuit and believes the complaint contains many factual inaccuracies. “The firm fully cooperated with the SEC’s investigation and, moreover, withdrew its SEC registration in 2019. None of Standard Advisory Services’ current directors are named in the lawsuit. The firm intends to vigorously defend itself against the SEC’s allegations”, it said. (Times of Malta)
Fr Seguna to be indicted
The magistrate compiling evidence against Marsaxlokk parish priest Fr Luke Seguna has decreed that there are sufficient grounds for his indictment. The decree was given by Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras at the end of today’s sitting in the compilation of evidence against Seguna, who is facing charges of misappropriation, money laundering, fraud and forgery. He is denying charges of misappropriating some €500,000 given to him by 150 parishioners over the span of 10 years. (Maltatoday)
