Updated 1420 –
Prof Charmaine Gauci hints at re-opening of schools
Health Superintendent Prof Charmaine Gauci today gave a strong hint that schools might re-open after the Easter holiday, saying that authorities have done all they could to allow school to re-open.
During an interview on The Times of Malta, Gauci quipped: “Education comes before entertainment”.
“Schools have always been our priority,” she said. “We’ve done whatever we can to allow the schools to reopen.”
Updated 1233 – Covid-19 Update
Active Covid-19 cases have gone down to 899 after that only 55 new cases were discovered yesterday, while 286 persons recovered. Two new deaths took the number of fatalities to 390.
PM asks Police Commissioner to investigate Macbridge reports
Prime Minister Robert Abela has written to the Commissioner of Police in the light of media reports about a company named Macbridge and allegations related to corruption and graft with regard to a number of projects carried out by Government.
Abela reiterated his confidence in all investigative institutions and said that they should continue to work independently and without looking anyone in the face.
PN MP Aquilina resigns from Party pending investigation
Karol Aquilina announced that he was resigning his position as shadow minister for justice after being notified of an investigation relating to a traffic accident which happened two years ago.
Aquilina said on social media that he was convinced of his innocence but did not want this episode to be used by political opponents to deviate public attention.
Newspaper Review
The Times reveals that secret company Macbridge is owned by Chen Cheng, a Chinese negotiator involved in multi-million projects by Enemalta. The company was listed as a target client by offshore companies owned by Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri.
L-Orizzont says that there were three times as many recoveries from Covid-19 in the last week than new registered cases. Prime Minister Robert Abela noted the positive results but called on the public to keep observing safety measures.
In-Nazzjon covers a press conference by PN Leader Bernard Grech following new revelations about once-secret company Macbridge. Grech said that the Labour Party sold the country a dream in 2013 but delivered a nightmare.
The Independent says that the court will today decide on the latest request for bail made by Keith Schembri. The former chief of staff’s lawyers insist that there is no risk of their client absconding or tampering with the evidence.
L-Orizzont publishes an interview with a Covid-19 patient who described the difficult reality of the disease. He said that there were times when he feared he would die in his sleep at hospital, as happened to other patients in his ward.
The Independent quotes a statement by Friends of the Earth calling out roadworks in Comino’s Blue Lagoon as illegal. The NGO said that the outline application for the works is still pending, and the case officer has recommended the project for refusal.
The Times says that investigators traced 44 transactions between 2015 and 2016 which moved a combined €600,000 between into an account held by BTI Management Ltd. The directors of the company are Nexia BT’s Brian Tonna and Karl Cini.
In-Nazzjon follows the police testimony in the case against Keith Schembri on Tuesday. The court heard that company BTI Management Ltd. received payments marked as ‘KS’ or ‘Loft’ as well as a cheque from an offshore company owned by the former chief of staff.
Morning Briefing
Macbridge owner revealed, strengthens corruption link with China
A widening investigation into allegations of high-level corruption on the island of Malta, first levelled by murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, stretches to China and a $400 million investment into Europe by a Chinese state power company, an investigation by Reuters has found.
Caruana Galizia was murdered in October 2017 as she investigated a web of companies that she believed were funneling bribes to Maltese politicians.
Now, Reuters and a consortium of journalists, including from The Times of Malta, have traced two firms involved in that web to relatives of a senior Chinese executive for Accenture, the global consultancy firm. The executive, 43-year-old Chen Cheng from Shanghai, negotiated investments on behalf of China’s state-owned Shanghai Electric Power in Malta and in another small European state, Montenegro, over the past decade, according to Maltese officials and official records.
OppoThe revelation of a Chinese connection potentially adds a new international dimension to a scandal that has rocked Malta’s government and last year led to the resignation of the prime minister. It also could figure in a series of Maltese official investigations into the events leading up to Caruana Galizia’s death. Meanwhile, former Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi has denied any knowledge or relationship with Macbridge besides a professional relationship with Chen Cheng.
In a statement, the Daphne Caruana Galizia foundation said that new charges should be issued against Yorgen Fenech, Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi. It stated that Chen Cheng should be extradited to Malta to face justice and that action should be taken against the company that employs Cheng – Accenture. The foundation requested authorities to investigate the role that former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had in the agreement with Shanghai Electric Power and the Montenegro project.
Bernard Grech calls on PM to scrap Electrogas deal
Opposition and Nationalist Party leader, Bernard Grech called on PM Robert Abela to shoulder political responsibility and immediately withdraw from the Electrogas agreement and start investigating all the projects made by Joseph Muscat, Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi.
The PN Leader stated that this news confirms what he described as corruption at the Government’s highest level and stressed that the institutions are not working, as it was journalists who revealed these details. Dr Grech added that this news confirms that from Macbridge, Schembri and Mizzi were to receive millions of euro.
He added that today’s events confirm that our country needs a new page, and this can only be provided by the Nationalist Party.
Covid-19 Update
The number of active cases in Malta continued to decrease, and now stands at 1132 on Monday. Health authorities reported 63 new cases of coronavirus, with 332 new recoveries. These were identified through 2,101 swab tests.
During the last 24 hours, a 73-year-old man passed away while Covid-19 positive.
