Latest Update- News Portal Briefing
Times of Malta reports that Malta recorded the biggest slump in retail volume within the EU in February while most other member states made a recovery, according to Eurostat.
MaltaToday reports that Labour Party President Ramona Attard says commenting on the Carmelo Abela case would prejudice the parliamentary process at this stage of proceedings
TVM reports that a man, aged 40, from Mosta was admitted to hosiptal after he sustained injuries while carrying out work on the roof of a home in the same locality.
Newsbook reports that A man has been denied bail after he was arraigned in court over attempted murder.
Updated 1500 – New Judges Announced
Magistrates Neville Camilleri and Audrey Demicoli and lawyers Christian Falzon Scerri and Ian Spiteri Bailey are to be appointed judges after a public call for nominations. The Office of the President said in a statement on Thursday that a public call for nominations was issued in February and 29 nominations were received by the Judicial Appointments Committee.
Updated 1250 – Covid-19 Update
Health authorities reported 55 new cases of coronavirus while 45 patients have recovered, bringing the total number of active cases to 588. As of yesterday,259,274 vaccine doses were administered with 78,139 individuals receiving the second shot. No deaths were recorded.
Four Nexia BT officials indicted for financial crimes; money traced from Kasco Group
Magistrate Donatello Frendo Dimech told the court today there is sufficient evidence for four officials from auditing firm Nexia BT to be indicted for financial crimes. Nexia BT managing partner Brian Tonna, his business partners Karl Cini and Manuel Castagna, and office manager Katrin Bondin Carter face charges of money laundering, forgery and other crimes in relation to inquiries into former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri.
They are all pleading not guilty.
Police told the court that they traced a series of accounting transactions connected with the
four people. They also found links to offshore companies. The police also explained that the
police traced money funnelled from Kasco Group, the company of OPM chief of staff Keith
Schembri. The four had previously been granted bail after a sitting in March saw 10 people jailed for
financial crimes.
Masks must be worn even on the beach
Masks will need to be work even after swimming on the beach, Superintendent of Public
Health Charmaine Gauci insisted. She told the Times of Malta that measures introduced to mitigate the spread of Covid-19, including wearing masks at all times, must remain in place. By relaxing the measures, we are heightening the risks, she insisted. “We need to see how things progress but the impact of wearing masks is very clear. So, for the time being, we need to keep these masks because we know that they work,” she added.
Newspaper Review
Business Today asks the CEO of Ryanair’s subsidiary Malta Air whether the company would object to the government’s request to inject €290 million in Air Malta. David O’Brien said that the company was seeking legal advice on the matter.
The Malta Business Weekly carries an interview with MaltaPost CEO Joseph Gafa who said that the pandemic and Brexit meant that the postal service had to adapt to a changing scenario quickly.
The Times reports on the case in court against Yorgen Fenech who prosecutors believe had a plan to flee Malta to avoid arrest. A text message by his uncle in 2019 advised him to leave while he was still in time.
The Independent quotes Deputy Attorney General Philip Galea Farrugia who told court that Yorgen Fenech requested an urgent flight by private jet and tried to transfer money from his Dubai company on the eve of his arrest in 2019.
L-Orizzont follows the testimony in court of state witness Melvin Theuma who said that he had opened up with members of his family about his involvement in the Caruana Galizia murder because he could no longer keep the secret.
In-Nazzjon quotes former President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca who said that a new legal notice regulating fundraising unfairly targets NGOs. Speaking during a discussion by the Faculty of Social Wellbeing, she said NGOs need support.
The Times reports that 54 local councils that applied for an EU programme to fund free internet points in public spaces may miss out on the project as the government has been unable to identify a supplier. The project has less than three months to be completed.
The Independent leads with the appearance of Nexia BT partner Brian Tonna before the parliamentary accounts committee on Wednesday where he was questioned about the Electrogas deal. Tonna chose to remain silent during the grilling.
Business Today quotes Chamber of Commerce President Marisa Xuereb who said that the Chamber is holding talks with the government about a re-engineering and transformation scheme for businesses.
The Malta Business Weekly quotes a statement by the federation of English language schools warning that the industry is facing an uncertain future. Designate CEO Caroline Tissot said that the risks have implications for the wider economy of the country.
In-Nazzjon says that the Broadcasting Authority upheld a complaint by the Nationalist Party of political imbalance on the national television station. The authority ordered PBS to air a message by PN Leader Bernard Grech as a remedy.
L-Orizzont says that the appearance of former PN Leader Simon Busuttil is piling pressure on current leader Bernard Grech. Asked whether he thinks that his predecessor will return to local politics, Grech told an interviewer to direct the question to Busuttil.
Morning Briefing
Caruana Galizia murder: ‘No one is convinced all involved have been arraigned’ – Deputy AG
The Deputy Attorney General, Philip Galea Farrugia, made a strong statement in Court yesterday,arguing that no one is convinced all involved have been arraigned. Galea Farrugia yesterday gave details of alleged mastermind Yorgen Fenech’s plans to escape to Nice via Sicily.
A text message was revealed whereby it appears that his uncle, Ray, warned him, a few hours before the arrest, that “there may be developments, go while you’re still in time”.
The Court has yesterday denied again a request for bail by Fenech, arguing that there was a risk of absconding.
No J&J vaccine for now
Malta will not be using the J&J vaccine for the time being, Health Superintendent Prof Charmaine Gauci revealed during an interview on The Times of Malta. She explained that in doing so, health authorities were observing the advice of the European Medicines Agency. On the other hand, Astra Zeneca jabs will continue to be given to the public.
The EU and the USA have halted the provision of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine after a small number of blood clots resulting from almost 7 million jabs.
Gender quotas approved
More women will be represented in Malta’s Parliament after the House approved a corrective mechanism to ensure gender parity.
The amendments, which will only come into force if two parties are elected to Parliament, stipulate that if a gender gets less than 40% of the available seats, a maximum of 12 seats – six on either side of the House, can be added.
Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis described it as a historical moment in local politics with both the government and the Opposition taking an important step towards equal representation in Parliament.
Nationalist MP Hermann Schiavone expressed the Opposition’s regret that its amendments, which would have covered the addition of seats even if a third party is elected, were ignored. The PN, he said, had also proposed that casual elections should be held immediately following the election for the Prime Minister to be in a better position to immediately form cabinet.
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