Updated 1745 – News Portal Review
TVM says 42 new cases of Covid-19 have been identified in Malta over the past 24 hours after 2,444 swab tests were carried out. 658 cases are presently active.
MaltaToday reports the golden passport licence of Brian Tonna’s BT International has been suspended by the government agency responsible for the Individual Investment Programme.
Times of Malta says nine more companies connected to Keith Schembri and one individual have been added to a fresh court order to freeze the assets of the former prime minister’s chief of staff.
The Malta Independent reports the death of an 84-year-old man which has become the 25th person to die with Covid-19, the Health Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
Newsbook says Gasan Group has declared that it is ready to exit the Electrogas group as soon as possible and without any profit.
ONE News reports that for the month of August, conditions in trade improved when compared to July. The Central Bank said that inflation remained low, as statistics show that from 1% inflation in June, a decrease to 0.7% was reported in July.
Updated 1344 – MUT says talks on school re-opening of schools
Talks between the Education Ministry and the Malta Union of Teachers have collapsed, day before the re-opening of schools.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) said that education ministry officials had failed to adequately a number of pertinent questions about how schools could safely reopen in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Update 1231 – 42 new cases of Covid-19 in Malta
In today’s daily update, the Health Ministry said that there were 42 new cases of coronavirus in Malta, in the past 24 hours, identified through 2,444 tests.
60 persons have since recovered.
In its update, the Ministry said that 26 from yesterday’s 38 new cases were related to existent clusters.
Updated – 1201 – 25th Death from Covid-19
An 84-year-old male coronavirus patient has died late last night, the health ministry said on Wednesday. The man is the 25th COVID-19 patient in Malta to lose his life since the onset of the pandemic.
The elder tested positive on September 18. He was admitted to the Infectious Diseases Unit at Mater Dei, where he passed away last night.
Updated 0823 – Newspaper Review
The Times leads with the arrest of former chief of staff Keith Schembri on Tuesday afternoon following an inquiry into allegations of kickbacks paid from the sales of passports. Nexia BT’s Brian Tonna and Karl Cini were also held by the police.
Malta Today says Keith Schembri will refuse to cooperate with the police unless the magisterial inquiry that led to his arrest is published in full. Schembri’s lawyers told the press that their client would not ‘participate in interrogations’ while under arrest.
The Independent quotes Keith Schembri’s lawyers Mark Vassallo and Edward Gatt who said their client has already testified in the magisterial inquiry about allegations of corruption, and they now expect the inquiry report to be disclosed.
L-Orizzont says that the office of the Attorney General filed a judicial protest to investigate the leaking of the court decree to freeze Keith Schembri’s assets to the press. Madame Justice Edwina Grima said she is concerned about the leak.
In-Nazzjon reports that the garnishee order issued by the courts on Monday freezes the assets of more than 40 people related to Keith Schembri, Brian Tonna, and Karl Cini, including the former chief of staff’s family and parents.
The Independent reveals that a number of patients with chronic illnesses have had their medications changed without their knowledge, only to find out when they turned up for treatment in hospital and were administered cheaper alternatives.
The Times publishes survey findings showing that deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne enjoys a 55 percent trust rating, scoring almost three times higher than Prime Minister Robert Abela at 19 percent. The study was conducted in mid-September.
In-Nazzjon says the PN electoral commission is taking the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of voters in the leadership election on 3 October. Polling stations will be fumigated, and members will be asked to bring their own pens.
L-Orizzont says that the PN electoral commission turned down deputy leader Robert Arrigo’s suggestion to postpone the leadership contest after challenger Bernard Grech announced that his wife tested positive for Covid-19.
In-Nazzjon quotes PN leader Adrian Delia who said that the actions against Keith Schembri, Brian Tonna, and Karl Cini are the first steps to bring to justice those involved in corruption related to the sales of passports.
Morning Briefing
Schembri released from bail
Former PM Joseph Muscat’s chief of staff Keith Schembri was released from police arrest on Tuesday evening, after he was arrested on money-laundering charges early in the morning. “He was interrogated, given disclosure of evidence and released,” one of his lawyers commented, confirming that their client would be returning for further questioning.
Schembri, along with Nexia BT’s Brian Tonna, had all his financial assets frozen in a court decree issued by Madam Justice Edwina Grima on Monday.
However, his lawyers insisted that Keith Schembri would “not participate” in any interrogation unless the conclusions of the magesterial inquity were disclosed to him.
Covid-19 Update
An 86-year-old man has died while suffering COVID-19, the Health Ministry announced yesterday. He was diagnosed with the infection on September 8 but only hospitalised last week. The man is the 24th victim of the coronavirus pandemic in Malta. In its update, the Health Ministry reported that the man had underlying conditions.
38 new coronavirus cases were reported in the previous 24 hours. The new COVID-19 cases were identified from 2,409 swab tests. In its daily update, the Health Ministry reported 34 recoveries, taking the tally of active cases up to 678.
Educators to file industrial dispute regarding re-opening of schools
The Union of Professional Educators (UPE) will be issuing an industrial dispute over concerns for educator’s health and safety concerning the upcoming scholastic year.
UPE CEO Graham Sansone said “UPE has stated, time and time again, it is not viable for schools to open in the coming days due to high numbers of COVID-19 positive cases reported. We had also recommended for online lessons to be delivered across the board until COVID-19 positive cases decrease significantly,” he said.
Union of Professional Educators (UPE) will be issuing an industrial dispute over concerns for educator’s health and safety regarding the impending reopening of schools.
CDE News
