Morning Briefing
Democracy, reputation and stability highlights of PN’s vision for country – Grech
Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said his party’s focus was on the need to strenghthen Malta’s democracy, improving Malta’s reputation, ensuring economic stability and safeguarding the rights of its citizens. “This constitutes the opposition’s vision,” he underscored, later adding that the PN has consistently governed based on a robust vision, as opposed to a government which offered no solution. Dr Grech was giving his response to the budget in Parliament on Monday evening. Amid this challenging backdrop, he asserted that the PN is offering a sense of optimism and a model in which Malta would not rely heavily on an influx of foreign workers from non-EU countries. Instead, a PN-led government would promote innovation and cultivate the development of local talent. Grech also expressed concern about the increasing level of debt. Prime Minister Robert Abela is scheduled to deliver his statement this evening.
Electronic tagging on the cards for next year
The implementation of electronic tagging for individuals convicted of specific crimes is on the horizon for next year, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri revealed. This commitment follows two years since the government initially presented a bill regarding this matter to parliament and several months after issuing a call for tender for electronic tags. Camilleri stated during a press conference that this could potentially become one of the most significant reforms ever to occur in our country, as he elaborated on budget commitments within his ministry. The ‘Electric Monitoring Bill,’ as it is known, is currently in its initial reading in parliament after being reintroduced in October 2022. This bill empowers the court to order electronic tagging for individuals sentenced to a prison term not exceeding one year. It also applies in cases where restraining orders are imposed or when courts issue temporary protection orders in instances of domestic violence. (Times of Malta)
Keith Schembri mobile goes missing, found in another case file
Legal representatives acting on behalf of former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri have initiated constitutional proceedings, alleging a violation of his right to a fair hearing. They have also requested the exclusion from evidence, in his money laundering case, of a mobile phone that had gone missing for several weeks before reappearing among the exhibits in a separate case. In the application filed against the Attorney General, the Police Commissioner, and the Registrar Criminal Courts and Tribunals, Schembri has urged the removal of the phone from the evidence in his case, asserting that the mishandling and subsequent retrieval of his phone might have been motivated by sinister intent.
The case involving Schembri, his father Alfio Schembri, and business associates Robert Zammit and Malcolm Scerri has encountered delays as the Attorney General deliberates whether to press charges against the individuals in the Criminal Court or refer the case for judgment by the Court of Magistrates. (The Malta Independen
