Power Station project: Keith Schembri, Konrad Mizzi, Yorgen Fenech charged with corruption and criminal association
Keith Schembri, Konrad Mizzi, Yorgen Fenech, and others pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to serious criminal charges linked to the Electrogas power station project. Prosecutors charged seven individuals and four companies following a magisterial inquiry into illicit payments tied to Fenech’s offshore firm, 17 Black. The accused face charges including corruption, trading in influence, and criminal association. Among those charged are Electrogas shareholder Paul Apap Bologna, local fuel agent Mario Pullicino, and accountants Brian Tonna and Karl Cini, who allegedly orchestrated the money transfers. Companies facing charges include Nexia BT, BTI Management, New Energy Supply, and OEGP Limited. (Times of Malta)
PN says Electrogas charges would not have happened with new limits on inquiries
The Nationalist Party stated that the arraignment of senior figures over corruption in the Electrogas power station project would not have occurred if the government’s proposed limits on magisterial inquiries had been in place years ago. Former Minister Konrad Mizzi, ex-chief of staff Keith Schembri, and businessman Yorgen Fenech were arraigned on Wednesday, pleading not guilty to multiple charges linked to the project. Shadow justice minister Karol Aquilina credited the prosecution to efforts by former PN leader Simon Busuttil, MEP David Casa, and ex-MP Jason Azzopardi, along with Repubblika, who pushed for a magisterial inquiry. He accused the Labour Party of trying to discredit the evidence for years, even suggesting the submitted boxes were empty.
Caritas announces death of Dun Victor Grech
Dun Victor Grech, founder of Caritas Malta’s drug rehabilitation programme, has died at 95. Caritas Malta announced his passing, thanking him for his dedication to the vulnerable. Born in Bormla in 1929, Grech was ordained in 1956 and later became rector of the Archbishop’s Seminary. In 1977, he was appointed delegate for church social action and soon after became Caritas Malta’s director, introducing professional social services. Best known for his work with drug victims, he launched Caritas’s rehabilitation programme in 1984 and founded Malta’s first therapeutic community for drug abusers a year later. (Maltatoday)
