Latest Update- News Portal Briefing
Times of Malta says Yorgen Fenech will face fresh financial crime charges
MaltaToday reports that no changes were found in the assessment marks for annual Year 11 examinations, according to an inquiry board appointed by the Ministry for Education.
Newsbook reports that Prime Minister Robert Abela announced that he was also a victim of fake emails sent in his name. Abela claimed that the incident happened on the 15th August.
TVM says that that a number of community police officers were seen at various beaches urging swimmers not to leave their bags alone or open while swimming.
Updated 1240 – Mid-Day Briefing
Covid-19 Update: 34 new cases of Covid-19 were reported on Monday, while 35 recovered, leaving the active case tally almost unchanged at 634. 2,362 swab tests were carried out yesterday.
PM asks National Cyber Crime Committee to investigate disinformation campaigns: The Prime Minister has joined the chorus of condemnation and expressed concern after a disinformation campaign targeting journalists and politicians continued over the weekend. Robert Abela added that he himself had been targeted earlier this month with emails purporting to be sent from his end were delivered to local media. In this context, the PM said that he will be asking the National Cyber Crime Committee to look into the matter and to draft proposals to counter such activity. “The fact that in recent days there have been attempts to spread articles specifically intended to mislead the public is of concern. These acts are not only condemnable but have no place in society” Abela said. Opposition Leader Bernard Grech was also targeted, with the latter denouncing the widespread disinformation campaign and calling for stronger measures.
Government to propose significant extension to corporate refunds timelines: Government will be proposing a significantly longer reimbursement period for corporate taxation, with the aim of targeting loopholes that could have been facilitating money-laundering, in what appears to be another FATF request following Malta’s grey-listing. The reform, related to the current practice of re-imbursing tax payments to foreign companies against further investment, a process which usually is completed within a month. Government is proposing extending this period to up to a year, thereby extending the time available to authorities to properly establish the provenance of such funds.
Updated 0835 – Newspaper Review
The Times says that a team of experts has been set up to review Malta’s corporate tax regime and is working on a series of measures to close loopholes in the tax refund scheme that could be exploited to launder money.
The Independent says that the 2022 Budget will be submitted in parliament on October 11. Speaking on One Radio, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Sunday that the government has already presented a €900 million mini-budget earlier in the year.
L-Orizzont quotes Prime Minister Robert Abela that the upcoming budget will give a clear vision of the new prosperity that the government wants to achieve. Abela said that the economy grew by more than 13 per cent this year.
In-Nazzjon quotes PN Leader Bernard Grech that the public is expressing a need for change and urged supporters to work together to achieve that goal. He was reacting to survey results reporting gains for the party.
The Independent reports that the president of the Gozo Regional Council is calling on the Planning Authority to implement proposals to rein in excessive development in the island. Among the proposals, the council wants Gozo to be designated a Design Priority Area.
In-Nazzjon says that Cabinet ministers are divided over the yacht marina in Marsascala green-lit by transport minister Ian Borg. Government MPs and PL candidates on the electoral District are objecting to the project.
The Times quotes survey findings showing that more people in Gozo are against the proposed tunnel to Malta than in favour of it. On a national level, 41.6 per cent support the proposal and 38.8 oppose it.
In-Nazzjon says that the Budget in October will be the last one before the general election and will be presented in the context of rising deficit rates. The shortfall is expected to grow over 10 per cent of GDP this year, registering one of the highest rates in the EU.
L-Orizzont reports that a rescue operation in the Mediterranean saved more than 500 migrants in distress, some of whom carrying signs of violence. The paper says that deaths at sea in the first six months this year are twice those reported in the same period in 2020.
Morning Briefing
Budget day announced
Prime Minister Robert Abela announced that the budget for 2022 will be announced on October 11th 2021. The announcement was made during Abela’s interview on One Radio earlier on Sunday. Abela dedicated much of the interview to a glowing review of the government’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic. Detailing “wise” policy decisions, Abela contrasted these against the Nationalist administration’s handling of the 2008 economic crisis. How could the electorate trust that the PN in government would not do the same again, he asked. Meanwhile, a number of media outlets hinted a possible election date in November.
Abela is controlled by Muscat, says Grech
Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said on Sunday that Prime Minister Robert Abela is “still in some way or other being controlled by former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat”. During an interview on party media, He was asked about the interview with Joseph Muscat that was published recently. “It is evident that we have a Prime Minister who is weak, and is controlled. Joseph Muscat doesn’t interest me, he lost his credibility. Joseph Muscat damaged the country. He should be part of the past not the present. The problem is that Robert Abela cannot cut off from Muscat as he is in some way still controlled by him. I will not continue to comment on Joseph Muscat, what interests me is the country and getting it out of the situation we are in”.
PN reduces gap in survey, Robert Abela sees trust increase
A Times of Malta survey found an improvement in the PN’s fortunes, with analysts predicting 44.91% of respondents would vote PN if an election were to be held now, versus 53.81% for Labour. In July, the gap had reached 41.8% (PN) to 56.9% (PL). At the same time however, PM Robert Abela’s trust rating has increased, as he was cited by 48.5% of respondents as their preferred prime minister – an increase of 4.1 percentage points over the previous month – while Opposition leader Bernard Grech saw his trust rating drop by 1.1 percentage points.
Covid-19 Update
Malta has registered 50 new coronavirus cases, the health authorities announced in the latest bulletin. 51 recoveries were also reported on Sunday, bringing the total number of known active cases down to 635
