Updated 1232
Covid-19 Update: Just one case of coronavirus was reported on Monday, with five persons recovering. This leaves just 23 active cases around the country. 1,480 swab tests were carried out yesterday. 288,195 persons are now fully vaccinated.
Government in last efforts to secure positive FATF vote: Government is continuing in its efforts to secure a positive result as the country approaches the final verdict on a potential grey listing by the international Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Finance Minister Clyde Caruana told reporters this morning that “we are working hard to continue showing that in the last year and a half we have carried out all the recommendations made to us”. The finance minister argued that anyone with influence must come together, irrelevant of their political allegiances, to convince stakeholders that Malta does not deserve grey-listing.
Malta registers trade deficit in Q1: Provisional figures for Malta’s external transactions show that during January-March 2021, the current account balance recorded a deficit of €42.6 million, as compared to a surplus of €29.8 million in the comparable quarter of 2020. This deficit was primarily the result of negative net balances recorded in the goods account (€369.0 million), the primary income account (€245.3 million) and the secondary income account (€37.0 million). This was partly offset by a positive net balance of €608.8 million recorded in the services account.
Updated 0840 – Newspaper Review
The Independent says that a crowdfunding campaign by NGOs to challenge the Planning Authority decision in favour of the City Centre development in Pembroke has raised €18,000. Local councils in the area and 11 NGO are objecting to the project.
L-Orizzont quotes Prime Minister Robert Abela who said that the government is taking a cautious approach to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions. While acknowledging some frustrations from certain quarters, he said that the country is minimising risk.
The Times reports that several companies have fallen victims to scams by fraudsters posing as suppliers demanding urgent payments. The police said that scammers are targeting large enterprises, requesting hundreds of thousands in false payments.
In-Nazzjon quotes PN Leader Bernard Grech who said that he is doing everything within his powers to restore the country’s reputation. Speaking about the upcoming FATF vote on Malta, Grech said that this is a matter of national concern.
The Independent reports that an application to install greenhouses and solar panels on the outskirts of Għajnsielem has been recommended for refusal by the Planning Authority case officer, raising concerns about the visual impact of the complex.
The Times quotes figures by the GU clinic showing a rise in sexually transmitted diseases in recent months as Covid-19 restrictions were being relaxed. Valeska Padovese, the head of the clinic, said that March recorded a spike in bacterial infections.
In-Nazzjon carries a statement by the PN which said that the political responsibility to ensure Malta is not grey-listed by international anti-money laundering bodies rests entirely with the government.
L-Orizzont reports on demonstrations in Italy following the killing of a man who was taking part in a strike. Italy’s president Sergio Mattarella sent his condolences to the young family of the 37-year-old.
Morning Briefing
“We did all we could” – Finance Minister on FATF evaluation
There’s not much more Malta could have done in preparation for the FATF evaluation, according to Finance Minister Clyde Caruana, as a final decision by the international anti-morning regulator looms. “I won’t speculate, and as I said earlier this week we have a closed-box situation where we don’t know what the final outcome will be of all this. But what is certain is that Malta did everything it could, and the results achieved so far on the technical aspect are much better than many other countries,” Caruana insisted.
Malta had “exhausted” itself to ensure passing the Moneyval and FATF assessments – efforts for which were successful with the former, as Malta passed its Moneyval evaluation last April. Caruana was in Germany this week to convince FATF members to vote in favour of Malta in the upcoming plenary session. It has been reported that major financial players such as the UK, Germany and the USA are pushing for a grey-listing of Malta.
Malta’s possible grey-listing on Sunday political agenda
The impending FATF decision on the posible grey-listing of Malta took centre stage on Sunday with Prme Minister Robert Abela accusing Opposition leader Bernard Grech of hurting Malta’s chances with the the anti-money laundering assessors. “If you analyse the Opposition leader’s letter, the last paragraph effectively means that Bernard Grech is inviting the FATF to grey-list our country. If he’s doing that on purpose or he just doesn’t know how the process works is not up to me to judge; but if you read the last paragraph of that letter – that’s what it means”, Abela said. He added that he was shocked at the letter, saying that in a sensitive period of the evaluation where they should be united, the Opposition was instead calling on the FATF to grey-list the country.
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech defended his letter to the Financial Action Task Force during an interview on Sunday. Grech said that “everyone knows that the damage to Malta’s name, unfortunately, has already been done. So for every test, regardless of whether we pass or fail, the very fact that we had to sit for this test… already damages the country’s name.” Grech expressed worry about the circumstances, especially in light of the news that those three countries want to vote for Malta’s greylisting. He said he felt he had to be proactive and do his part to defend the country. He said that the PN had previously offered the Prime Minister to help wherever possible to defend the country’s name, but added that the PN has not yet been approached to do anything tangible. “So I did not stay waiting and felt the need to write that letter and declared that we cannot afford to be grey-listed.” He said that he appealed to the FATF given that many people’s livelihoods depend on financial services. He also said he is working, and if entrusted to lead the country will keep on working, to do all that is needed to earn back the trust and credibility the country deserves.
Covid-19 Update
There was one new case of COVID-19 reported on Sunday and three patients recovered, bringing the number of active cases down to 27.
CDE News
