Updated 1234 – Covid-19 Update
101 new cases of coronavirus were reported on Wednesday, with 302 recoveries lowering down the number of active cases significantly, to 2,276. 2,789 swab tests were taken yesterday.
During the last 24 hours, two persons lost their lives after being infected with coronavirus, taking the death tally to 377.
Till yesterday, 155,678 doses of the anti-Covid 19 vaccine were adminisered, 46,140 of which were second doses.t
Updated 1215 – Business support measures extended
Government has announced an extension of benefits to businesses which had to close down because of the pandemic. Announcing the new measures today, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana said that the tax deferrals scheme will once again be introduced and will be in place until the end of the year.
“Payments will start being made from May 2022. This will help business owners focus on their business’ recovery and not worry about paying tax,” the Minister explained. However, he warned that all amounts will eventually be due, and there will be no amnesties.
Caruana also announced a one-time concession will also be introduced for those who have pending tax balances. These business owners will be exempt from the Capital Gains Tax when selling property to settle the tax owed to the government. This measure expires in March 2022 and will, therefore, apply to those who enter into promise of sale agreements by then.
Other measures which will be extended include the moratorium period under the COVID-19 Guarantee Scheme (CGS), operated by the Malta Development Bank which is being extended from 12 to 18 month. The CGS itself will be extended until September 30, while the definition of ‘working capital’ will be widened to include the financial costs related to the servicing of bank loans of businesses.
Husband of former Gozitan Minister cleared
Tony Debono, the husband of former Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono, has been cleared of accusations that he had used public funds to carry out private works.
A Gozitan court ruled that Debono was not guilty of any of the accusations brought against him, with Magistrate Neville Camilleri saying that there wasn’t enough proof to show guilt. The court concluded that the case could have been investigated better by police, better investigations which would have led to the accused not being charged in court.
Update 1105 – Maltese spend an average of 26 minutes in commuting
In 2019, workers in Malta spent an average of 26 minutes travelling from home to work, excluding detours or any extra time needed for other purposes such as grocery shopping or taking children to school.
Results showed that, before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, one third of employed persons at a national level
had a one-way commuting time ranging from 15 to 29 minutes. Similarly, 30.7 per cent of all workers in the EU-28
fell within the same category. The second highest share of workers, both in Malta and the EU-28, took between one
and 14 minutes to get from home to work (23.0 and 26.8 per cent respectively). A further 8.5 per cent of employed
persons had a commuting time ranging from 45 to 59 minutes, 2.6 percentage points higher than the EU-28 average
of 5.9 per cent.
Newspaper Review
The Independent reports that Magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo ruled on Tuesday that there was enough prima facie evidence to indict brother Robert and Adrian Agius with involvement in the Caruana Galizia murder.
L-Orizzont follows the testimony in court of state witness Vince Muscat who gave details about the assassination of lawyer Carmel Chircop in 2015. Muscat said the victim was shot several times from close range in a garage complex.
The Times says that brother Alfred and George Degiorgio, suspected of killing Daphne Caruana Galizia, have requested a pardon in exchange for information about involvement by a sitting and former minister in criminal activity.
Malta Today says that suspected hitman Alfred Degiorgio is proposing to name politicians involved in the Caruana Galizia murder in exchange for a pardon, while his brother George claims he has information about a sitting minister involved in theft.
In-Nazzjon quotes PN Leader Bernard Grech who said that the Prime Minister owes the nation an explanation about what is going on, following accusations that current and former ministers were involved in high-profile crimes.
Malta Today quotes Opposition MP Jason Azzopardi who said in parliament that former Economy Minister Chris Cardona was questioned by the police in 2010 in connection with the botched heist on the HSBC Headquarters.
The Times publishes an interview with EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders who raised concerns about the revised citizenship programme proposed by Malta. The Commissioner said that European values are not for sale.
In-Nazzjon says that Physical Education teachers were dismayed to learn that former footballer Daniel Bogdanovic was engaged by the Education Ministry on a three-month contract worth €15,000 without a public call.
The Independent says that a fifth of the population has received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Just over 45,000 people have been given the two jabs, putting Malta’s vaccination rate ahead of other EU countries.
L-Orizzont speaks to healthcare professionals about the new surge of Covid-19 cases who confirmed that the new variant is more powerful than the first virus. Nurses said that more people of young age are being admitted in intensive care.
Morning Briefing
PN claims Chris Cardona was arrested on eve of HSBC robbery
In an explosive speech, Opposition MP Jason Azzopardi said that former Economy Minister Chris Cardona had been arrested o the night of the HSBC Bank Heist. Despite Joseph Muscat being privy to that information, Azzopardi insisted, he went on to appoint him minister. “After Joseph Muscat resigned, Cardona was the only one to go to his house to have his picture taken with him. What did he know about Muscat?” Azzopardi asked.
Azzopardi also took Labour to task for insisting that the financial crime charges against Keith Schembri and officials from Nexia BT were related to crimes committed before 2013, saying that the charge sheets which included money laundering, fraud, forgery and misappropriation went up 2019, covering the passport kickbacks scandal.
The PN MP also challenged Prime Minister Robert Abela to say when was the last time he was in contact with the Maksar Brothers, who stand accused of providing the bomb that was used in the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Degiorgios seek Presidential pardon
In another chapter of the continuously evolving saga, brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio have written to President George Vella requesting a pardon in return for naming a former minister who was a “mastermind” in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.
The brothers also expressed readiness to name a middleman “against whom no steps have been taken so far.”
Alfred Degiorgio said he is also willing to name a former minister and also a sitting minister who were “masterminds” behind an attempted robbery and an attempted homicide, as well as other persons involved in the case.
Daphne Caruana Galizia’s family is insisting that brothers, George and Alfred Degiorgio, should not be granted a presidential pardon. They said that in order that full justice prevails, past criminal acts should not be used so that criminals “buy” their freedom from justice for a murder. They added that criminal crimes should be solved and the criminals arraigned before justice, however Daphne Caruana Galizia should not be denied justice.
Covid-19 Update
New COVID-19 cases went down to double digits for the first time in seven weeks. Health authorities reported 90 cases on Tuesday, though only 2,661 perons were tested. Two patients, a 76-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman died overnight, bringing the number of deaths to 375.
