Updated 1745- News Portal Briefings
The Times of Malta says that the former prime minister’s chief of staff, Keith Schembri, and directors of his various companies have taken legal action over a court order freezing the the assets of dozens of businesses and individuals.
MaltaToday says Moviment Graffitti activists halted rural works in Dingli claiming that no permits had been approved for the works.
TVM reports that before embarking on talks on the second day of the Special Summit which is meeting in Brussels, the PM Robert Abela had a bilateral meeting with the Head of Task Force for Relations with the UK, Michel Barnier.
Newsbook says that incumbent Partit Nazzjonalista leader Adrian Delia has promised more action from the Opposition against government corruption next week.
Updated 1300 – Covid-19 Update
44 new cases of coronavirus were reported by the authorities today, while 63 have recovered.
Health Superintendent Prof Charmaine Gauci announced another death from Covid-19, bringing the tally to 38. Earlier, Health authorities announced 44 new cases, while 63 have recovered.
Gauci said that less than 10% of the 434 active cases are currently requiring hospitalisation, with five being in intensive care. The number of cases in residential homes for the elderly have continued to increase, particulary at the San Ġużepp home, where 127 residents and 32 members of staff have contracted the virus.
The Health Superintendent also said that 14 cases this week were related to air travel.
Updated 0931 – Two elderly die after Covid-19 infections
Two elderly men who tested positive for COVID-19 in the past weeks have died at Mater Dei Hospital, the Health Ministry said in a statement this morning.
The men were aged 90 and 78, and had been admitted to Mater Dei Hospital on the 15th and 10th September respectively.
Malta’s death tally has now reached 37. Earlier this week, data by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control had shown that Malta’s COVID-19 mortality rate was currenlty the highest in Europe, at 3.6 deaths per 100,000 people over the past two weeks.
Updated 0829 – Newspaper Review
The Times quotes Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti who described court delays as the biggest challenge in the judiciary system. The Chief Justice was speaking at the start of the forensic year on Thursday.
The Independent follows the ceremony marking the new forensic year during which Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti suggested the law course at university to be revised to nurture new skills in criminal and commercial procedures.
L-Orizzont quotes Archbishop Charles Scicluna in his homily at the start of the forensic year. He urged the members of the judiciary to show courage in their decisions and appealed for them to listen to their conscience.
In-Nazzjon quotes lawyer Charles Mercieca, who is part of Yorgen Fenech’s defence team, who said that everyone is blaming the businessman for the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia while the ‘real assassins’ are roaming free.
The Times says that Alfred Sant and Lawrence Gonzi warned that a Status of Forces Agreement would lead to loss of sovereignty and jurisdiction. In separate comments, the former Prime Ministers said a deal would impact Malta’s neutrality.
L-Orizzont follows the first hearing in the case against former OPM employee Neville Gafa’, accused by Italian journalist Sebastiano Scavo of posting personal threats on Facebook. Gafa’ played his statements down as political comments.
The Independent carries an interview with SME Chamber CEO Abigail Mamo who called for clarity about the Covid-19 wage subsidy extension. Mamo said the situation remains unpredictable and advised members to plan for a worst-case scenario.
In-Nazzjon reports that 51 percent of those eligible PN members have cast their votes in the party leadership race which ends on Saturday. Counting will start right after the close of voting and the winner is expected to be announced between Saturday and Sunday.
Morning Briefing
True masterminds still free, says Yorgen Fenech’s lawyer
The true masterminds behind the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia are “running around outside”, Charles Mercieca, one of the lawyers defending Yorgen Fenech said yesterday in Court.
Fenech is accused with masterminding the killing of Caruana Galizia on 16 October 2017. Mercieca also argued that his client was not being given a fair trial, contesting the fact that the prosecution had refused to give access to recording tapes and mobile phone.
Dr Mercieca also warned that crucial data might be lost forever if the court fails to declare that the defence team should have access to it.
Not enough members of the judiciary to address delays – Chief Justice
Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti on Thursday called on the government to appoint more judges to the bench as despite the best effort of members of the judiciary, the issue of court delays could not be addressed properly.
In a statement to mark the opening of the Forensic Year, Mr Justice Chetcuti said members of the judiciary were doing their utmost to decide on cases speedily. At the same time, however, they were careful to respect the dignity of all those who appeared before them as, otherwise, true justice will not be delivered.
Last Wednesday a report by the European Commission on the rule had indicated the delays in court cases as one of the major issues limiting the delivery of justice in Malta.
Covid-19 Update
After a number of days where new cases of Covid-19 hovered in the twenties, the Health authorities reported 37 new cases yesterday the highest figure in a week.
The daily report indicaed that 43 patients have recovered over the past 24 hours, lowering the number of active cases slightly to 455.
CDE News
