Major drop in AML charges post grey-listing reported
Data presented in Parliament has revealed a major drop in the number of individuals brought to court on charges related to money laundering following Malta’s exit from the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) grey list in 2022. According to figures shared by minister Byron Camilleri in response to a Parliamentary question by Opposition MP Jerome Caruana Cilia, prior to the greylisting, the number of money laundering and other financial crime cases had been steadily increasing, reaching 154 charges in 2021. The charges drop significantly soon after, to 71 in 2022 and 49 last year. (Newsbook)
Man charged with attempted murder of ex-partner’s daughters
A 43-year-old man from Bormla, Nazzareno Dalli, has been remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to charges including attempted murder, grievous bodily harm, illegal arrest, and attacking two teenage girls, reportedly his ex-partner’s daughters. The brief arraignment before magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo on Tuesday lasted less than five minutes. Additional charges include carrying a knife without a police permit, possession of a weapon during an offence, cocaine possession, and acting as an unlicensed private guard. The court considered the defendant as a potential recidivist, although no online records of previous judgments against him were found. (Maltatoday)
NGOs react to rent reform proposals with own recommendations
Several organisations have presented a list of proposed changes to a Bill which they said “seeks to remove the minimal existing safeguards” for tenants within the Private Residential Leases Act. The counterproposals were presented by Solidarjetà, Moviment Graffitti and Malta Tenant Support, on behalf and have been endorsed by social NGOs. The entities expressed alarm at proposals that seek to weaken “the already vulnerable position of tenants in order to strengthen the power and quick profits of landlords.” They argued that Government’s repeated succumbing to pressures from the developers’ and landlords’ lobby has led to an unregulated, unaffordable and highly abusive property market, something that is widening social inequalities and inflicting much suffering”.
