Updated 1745- News Portal Briefing
Times of Malta reports that court suspended action after ministry applied for injunction
MaltaToday reports that Transport Minister Ian Borg has announced the start of a fast ferry service between Malta and Gozo
TVM reports that today the compilation of evidence continues against the four people who are allegedly responsible for the collapse of a building which caused the death of Miriam Pace
Newsbook reports that GUG said that it felt “deeply discouraged” after the Planning Authority’s refusal to meet with Gozitan mayors regarding the ongoing struggle of overdevelopment in Gozo.
Updated 1235: Record 258 new Covid-19 cases reported
A staggering 258 cases were reported on Friday, taking the total number of cases in Malta to 21,982. With 182 new recoveries, the number of active cases has increased to 2,582. 3,640 swab tests were taken yesterday. Two additional deaths, an 83 year old woman and a 76 year old male, take the tally of fatalities to 313.
Health authorities also reported 73,644 doses were administered, 23,395 of which were second doses.
In the Covid-19 weekly briefing, Prof Charmaine Gauci said that 130 persons were currently hospitalised. She attributed the increase in cases to the spreading of the UK variant, with a number of clusters of positive cases being related to this same variant. The seven-day moving average stands at 203, the first time it exceeded the two hundred mark. On the positive side, the positive impact of the vaccination was clearly visible with a reduction in cases related to nursing homes.
Bernard Grech describes Cardona story as shocking
In a statement on Facebook, PN leader Grech said that if the allegations reported by The Times of Malta this morning were true, they confirmed the familiarity between the Labour government and organised crime. “Those who formed part of the government had allowed the country to be taken over by people whose only interest was power and money, rather than the common good, Grech” said.
He added that the country’s institutions failed to work, and they were actually managed by those who were close to criminals and hindered the process as much as they could to protect themselves.
Updated 1130 – €324m deficit in January
By the end of January 2021, the Government’s Consolidated Fund reported a deficit of €324.4 million, the NSO said today.
In January 2021, recurrent revenue amounted to €294.0 million, 3.8 per cent lower than the €305.7 million reported
a year earlier.
The largest decrease was recorded under Licences, Taxes and Fines (€18.9 million), followed by Grants (€9.7 million), Fees of Office (€5.6 million), Customs and Excise Duties (€3.1 million), Rents (€2.4 million) and Dividends on Investment (€0.7 million). Conversely, increases in revenue were reported under Income Tax (€15.7 million), Value Added Tax (€6.4 million), Miscellaneous Receipts (€4.9 million), Reimbursements (€1.4 million) and Social Security (€0.3 million).
During the reference period, recurrent expenditure totalled €548.0 million, a rise of €209.6 million in comparison to
the €338.4 million reported in 2020. The main contributor to this increase was a €159.3 million rise reported under
Programmes and Initiatives. Furthermore, increases were also witnessed under Operational and Maintenance
Expenses (€22.6 million)
Updated 0900 – Newspaper Review
The Times says that Vince Muscat told the police that former minister Chris Cardona was involved in a 2015 plot to kill Daphne Caruana Galizia which was later aborted. Contacted by the paper, Cardona vehemently denied the allegations.
The Independent follows a press conference by the Prime Minister who praised the police for bringing in four men linked to two murder cases. Asked about the Caruana Galizia case, Robert Abela said investigations are still ongoing.
L-Orizzont quotes Prime Minister Robert Abela who said that the arraignments of the men involved in the Caruana Galizia murder show that the country’s institutions are working. He added that the government is a “force for justice”.
In-Nazzjon covers a press conference by PN Leader Bernard Grech who criticised the Prime Minister for trying to take credit for the latest developments in the Caruana Galizia case. Grech said that the Prime Minister should not interfere in the work of the police.
The Independent reports that junior minister Rosianne Cutajar stepped down pending the outcome of an investigation by the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life. In a Facebook post, Cutajar said she was a victim of “unjust attacks”.
The Times quotes a statement by the Office of the Prime Minister thanking parliamentary secretary Rosianne Cutajar for “choosing the interests of the government and the country” by resigning from the post.
In-Nazzjon picks a Facebook post by junior minister Rosianne Cutajar announcing her resignation. The parliamentary secretary for reforms said that she took the decision to avoid harming the Labour Party.
L-Orizzont reports on the death of 30-year-old Christine Said from Covid-19, making her the youngest victim of the pandemic in Malta. The Health Ministry announced that a 67-year-old man and an 83-year-old woman also died on Thursday.
The Times reports that the driver of a tourist bus that was involved in an accident in 2018, killing two people on board, will be charged with involuntary homicide in court today along with four directors of the sightseeing tour company.
L-Orizzont covers a meeting between Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli and the General Workers Union, launching a campaign to promote inclusion. Secretary general Josef Bugeja said the union considers inclusion at the workplace as a priority.
Morning Briefing
Chris Cardona implicated in aborted Caruana Galizia assassination attempt – reports
Chris Cardona has been implicated by Vince Muscat, known as il-Koħħu, in an an aborted 2015 plot to kill journalist
Daphne Caruana Galizia and linked to the alleged hitmen in the year she was assassinated. This was revealed in an exclusive story carried by the Times of Malta in print today.
The former Labour Deputy Leader, described the claims as “pure evil fiction” and categorically denied such links.
It is reported that Muscat, as part of a plea deal in the context of the Caruana Galizia and Vince Chircop murders, revealed to authorities that Cardona was behind an approach to the Degiorgio brothers in 2015, settling on a price of €150,000 to kill the journalist. This plan, however, failed to materialise and no money was ever paid.
Parliamentary Secretary Rosianne Cutajar resigns
Parliamentary Secretary Rosianne Cutajar has tendered her resignation pending an investigation. She announced the move on Facebook, while denying all claims. She said she is doing so “out of respect for the Labour Party.” She had been facing pressure intense scrutiny for her alleged links with Yorgen Fenech, including media reports that she had had benefited from an undeclared property deal involving the Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder suspect.
Prime Minister Robert Abela said he “welcomed the resignation, pending the outcome of the investigation”. He thanked her for “putting the interests of the government and the country before her personal interests”.
Bernard Grech claims Opposition, Civil Society credit in Caruana Galizia developments
Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said the developments in recent days in connection with the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia were a result of pressure exerted from the Opposition and Civil Society. Addressing a press conference at the Party HQ, while expressing solidarity with the relatives of the murdered journalist, Grech said that she was killed due to an atmosphere of impunity created by the previous administration, of which Robert Abela was a part.
The Leader of the Opposition added that there seemed to be a rush for Prime Minister Robert Abela to declare the case closed, and said that the case will be closed only when true justice is served to all those involved in the murder.
Covid-19 update
The Health Department reported 192 new cases of coronavirus in the previous 24 hours,
with 185 recovering. The number of active cases has reached 2,508. 3,473 swab tests were
carried out in the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the number of deaths linked to Covid-19 has reached 311. In the past 24 hours,
an 83-year-old woman and a 30-year-old woman died.
