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10-storey aparthotel planned for main Swieqi road sends shiver down residents

February 28, 2018, 10:45 am
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The site of the proposed 10-storey aparthotel in Swieqi. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Plans have been submitted for a 10-storey aparthotel in a residential area of Swieqi, raising fears of developers looking to extend Paceville into once-quiet neighbourhoods nearby. The application by Talal Naser El Abdullah, published on Wednesday, seeks to build an 88-room aparthotel, underground parking and amenities including a mini-market and rooftop pool on a plot off Triq is-Swieqi. The site lies about 250 metres from the underpass to Paceville and St George’s Bay and is surrounded mostly by two- and three-storey terraced houses, as well as a few taller apartment blocks. It is zoned as a residential priority area, where only residential applications are to be considered. Swieqi mayor Noel Muscat told the Times of Malta the local council planned to object to the application, noting that the surrounding roads were inadequate for such an intensive project. “This is a residential area, not an extension of Paceville. There are many other areas for this type of development,” he said. Highlighting the constant eating-up of open space in the locality, Mr Muscat said the council was opposed to commercial developments in residential areas. “The architects know what the law says,”...
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Unwarranted motorbike attention, verbal abuse lands victim with knife lodged in his back

March 1, 2018, 9:35 am
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A violent fight, sparked off by unwelcome attention for a man's motorbike, landed the victim with a knife lodged in his back and the aggressor with a five-year jail term. Valletta resident Giovanni Scicluna, 54, nicknamed 'ix-Xadin’, had been chatting with friends outside his home when he was drawn by commotion close to the spot where his motorbike was parked. The vehicle had allegedly been targeted earlier on by vandals who had urinated over it, thereby making its owner extra cautious. Calling out to the group of men standing close to his bike, he was met with a volley of verbal insults which sparked off the argument between the motorbike owner and Adam Cini, one of the gang who allegedly began to swear at Mr Scicluna. Several eyewitnesses testified how Mr Cini had refused to apologise after hurling verbal abuse at the motorbike owner. However, it was allegedly when reference was made to the accused's deceased father that the situation rapidly got out of hand. The two men came to blows until the accused allegedly attacked Mr Cini with a knife, slashing him several times before stabbing him in the back as the latter turned to leave. The final blow was so forceful that the knife...
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Bouncers to pay €102,000 to beaten-up student

March 1, 2018, 6:20 am
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Two bouncers at a Paceville club, who had badly beaten up a young Italian student, leaving him with a permanent disability, were ordered to pay €100,000 by way of damages to the victim. James Azzopardi and Martin Bonnici had been on duty at the Havana Club on the evening of July 2007 when, at around 2am, an argument broke out between a group of Italian youths and security officials. Filippo de Romanis, at the time a 20-year old political science student, was on holiday in Malta where his brother and a friend were attending a conference on Peace in the Middle East and Politics in the Mediterranean. The young men, on a night out in Paceville were allegedly under the influence of alcohol and had been fooling around at the club when they got into trouble with the bouncers on duty at the club. As the argument escalated, the bouncers decided to forcefully throw out the pranksters, giving rise to a physical scuffle in which the 20-year old ended up being badly manhandled, as he was kicked and punched, even after he collapsed on the street outside after being blinded by some spray. Following the incident, the Italians had filed a report at the St Julian’s police station, after which Mr...
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Off-duty officer who lied about car crash draws court's ire

March 2, 2018, 4:40 am
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An off-duty police officer who tried to blame a hapless motorist for damage to his car lied under oath and should be investigated by the police commissioner, a court said on Friday.  The court's censure of Mark Galea came during criminal proceedings against Alan Debono, who had been charged with having seriously injured Mr Galea in a 2006 crash on the Alla u Ommu hill, Naxxar. Mr Galea was driving a Toyota Corolla at the time, with Mr Debono behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo. Off-duty officer Mr Galea said that he lost control of his vehicle and was subsequently hit by Mr Debono's Alfa Romeo. Mr Galea said the crash had caused €1,060 of damage to his car and left him with a permanent disability as a result of a muscular neck injury.  However, Mr Debono driver strongly rebutted these claims and denied that there had ever been an impact between the two vehicles. Mr Debono insisted he had hit the brakes the moment he saw Mr Galea's car skid out of control. But rather than proceed along his way, Mr Galea had emerged from his Toyota, shouting and insisting that he had been hit by the accused’s car.  Mr Debono resolutely stuck to his version of events throughout criminal proceedings...
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EU Commissioner calls for “acceptable compromises" between Brussels and Valletta

March 2, 2018, 2:15 am
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The EU Budget Commissioner told Prime Minister Joseph Muscat he hopes "acceptable compromises" will be reached between Brussels and Malta as fresh proposals for the upcoming EU seven-year budget are hammered out. During a meeting at Castille on Friday morning, Günther Oettinger said that so far, 90 per cent of the "analysis" put forward by Malta tallied with what was being discussed in Brussels.  The Commissioner noted that he was interested in hearing about Malta's expectations to better understand what rules and scenarios were regarded as acceptable. While the European Commission is expected to make its position on the Budget for after 2020 known in May, observes who spoke to Times of Malta last week said Malta might struggle to retain the financing that had been allocated in the last agreement. Read: Malta facing hefty cut in EU funding In his comments, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said he looked forward to the May proposals, pointing out that the next multi-annual financial framework needed to be “ambitious”. "This should not be about percentages but about objectives. We need to be ambitious, but realistic,” the Prime Minister told Mr Oettinger. He insisted that the end...
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Two dead after suspected gas incident in Mġarr ix-Xini

March 2, 2018, 7:25 am
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Two people were found dead after a suspected gas leak incident in Mġarr ix-Xini, Gozo, Times of Malta is informed.  The Maltese man, Paul Muscat aged 59, and a 52-year-old British woman, believed to be his partner, were found in a boathouse. Initial investigations show the couple could have been dead since Tuesday, according to sources. So far, no foul play is suspected. Mr Muscat, a captain on the Gozo Channel ferries from Sannat, had practically turned the boat house into his residence for the last five years. The police were informed about the discovery at 1.30pm. The roads leading to the picturesque Gozo bay have been closed, pending further investigations.  A magisterial inquiry is under way.    
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PA intervenes to spruce up Buġibba eyesore

March 1, 2018, 5:44 am
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The Planning Authority has intervened to spruce up a long-dilapitated building that is an eyesore right in the heart of Buġibba seafront. The Authority said its workers have converged on the former International Hotel to address its rundown appearance. Works include the blocking of apertures and the plastering and painting of the facade. As in similar direct actions, the costs of the works will be recovered from the owner of the building. The PA urged owners of derelict buildings to carry out the necessary repair works themselves so as to avoid incurring the additional costs of the Authority’s direct actions.
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All governments guilty of clientelism, says Busuttil as he accuses Labour of vote-buying strategy

March 1, 2018, 9:11 am
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The Opposition’s spokesman on good governance, Simon Busuttil

All governments were guilty of clientelism to some extent, according to the Opposition’s spokesman on good governance, Simon Busuttil. "Clientelism still plagues politics, and all governments are guilty of it, to a greater or lesser extent, not just in Malta but across the world,” he said. The former Nationalist Party and Opposition leader was contacted by Times of Malta for his reaction after Malta Today reported on Sunday that leaked e-mails showed that Nationalist MPs and candidates had solicited government jobs for their constituents. The e-mails covered the years from 2009 to 2013, when the PN was in government. Dr Busuttil, who campaigned on the pledge to clean up Maltese politics in last year’s general election, was quick to put the leaks into context. In this recent case, he said, “the numbers speak for themselves. Just 10 people were reported to have been recruited under a PN administration as a result of the involvement of politicians, whereas some 250 people were taken on board under a Labour administration as a result of clientelism before last June’s election. Indeed, there is a stark difference.” He added that, in the run-up to the last election, the Labour...
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‘Critically scarce’ labour market in spite of 40,000 foreigners

March 2, 2018, 2:25 am
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There are over 40,000 foreign employees in the private sector, almost 30% of the private sector labour force, but this is still far from enough to cope with economic growth, according to the Malta Employers’ Association president. Dolores Sammut Bonnici described manpower as being "critically scarce", saying that the situation was exacerbated by the "unwarranted recruitment" in the public sector during 2017, as many companies report a drain on their manpower to join the public sector. “The thrill of being awarded a new contract is very short lived when you come face to face with the difficult task of recruiting additional staff,” she told the MEA annual general meeting, adding that there were shortages across all grades and economic sectors. Read: Economy will need 12,500 workers next year Another problem is that engaging third country nationals is a laborious process, with permits taking more than four months to process. Many companies are also resorting to poaching – but at national level this is creating wage inflation. "Employers are all in favour of increasing wages as long as such increases are matched with productivity, but wage inflation resulting from labour shortages...
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Electrogas shareholder is behind medical cannabis plan

March 1, 2018, 10:35 pm
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Paul Apap Bologna, inset, ran an 80-year-old healthcare family business, Associated Drugs Ltd.

The main promoter of the LNG-fired power station and a shareholder in Electrogas is also involved in the multi-million-euro medical marijuana production project, the Times of Malta is informed. Paul Apap Bologna, who ran an 80-year-old healthcare family business, Associated Drugs Ltd, sat on the board of directors of Nuuvera Malta Ltd, registered on February 16 as Parliament was discussing new legislation to lift a ban on the manufacture of medical cannabis on the island, pharmaceutical industry sources said. The company is owned by Canadian medical cannabis giants Nuuvera Inc. and Cannholdings Limited, a Maltese firm owned by Mr Apap Bologna, Trevor Camilleri and Mark Magri. Nuuvera Inc. announced on Tuesday it had purchased Maltese firm ASG Pharma Ltd for €5 million with the aim of commencing medical cannabis products manu-facturing in Malta. ASG Pharma Ltd was previously owned by Mr Apap Bologna, Consolidated Packaging Ltd, Evolve Ltd and BCGL Services Ltd. It operated from the same offices as Mr Apap Bologna’s drugs company. Nexia BT were its auditors. Mr Apap Bologna denied reports that he was behind intense lobbying with Maltese government ministers, including the Prime...
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Singer recalls horror of having penknife held to her throat in Paceville

March 1, 2018, 8:12 am
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A Maltese singer and her friend, victims of a recent violent mugging on the streets of Paceville, on Thursday recounted their harrowing experience in open court in the presence of their alleged aggressor. Tripoli-born 37-year old Munir Mohamed Ali Gammudi sat in the dock, assisted by an interpreter, as artist Mikaela Attard and her friend Monica Agius, recounted what happened on February 18, while the two were out with friends in Paceville. While sitting on a low wall, waiting for their friends who were still inside a club, two strangers had approached the women. One of them, speaking in English, asked for a cigarette. As the singer’s friend duly handed over her packet of cigarettes, the same man asked whether she had a boyfriend. “Yes, he's coming soon,” the singer’s friend had replied. Yet, no sooner had she spoken than the man's companion, identified in court by both women as the accused, "in an instant" whipped out a penknife and held it against Ms Attard's throat, before succeeding in pulling away her handbag. As the men ran off, followed by the two friends who were heading in the direction of a nearby club to seek help, the accused turned back and repeatedly attempted to...
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Prisoner takes selfie in cell, posts on Facebook

March 1, 2018, 10:01 pm
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A warder at Corradino Correctional Facility received a Facebook friend request from a prisoner’s account. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

A prisoner at Corradino Correctional Facility was caught in possession of a mobile phone after he took a selfie in his cell and posted it on Facebook, the Times of Malta has learnt. Minutes earlier, sources said, the same inmate created a fake Facebook account attributed to another prisoner and sent friend requests to warders. The incident took place on Wednesday. The police were called in to investigate and criminal action is expected to be taken against the inmate, serving time in connection with drug-related crimes. The sources said eyebrows were first raised when a warder received a Facebook friend request from a prisoner’s account. A short while later, two of his colleagues received a similar request. A closer look made them suspect it was a fake profile. About 30 minutes later, they were alerted to a photograph posted by a prisoner in another division. They raided his cell and the inmate reportedly immediately admitted to having created the fake profile. However, he denied being in possession of a mobile phone, adding he was “always one step ahead” of them. A mobile phone was, however, found when, in a thorough search, warders removed the top of a piece of furniture and...
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Activists remember Daphne Caruana Galizia, blog posts in hand

March 2, 2018, 10:11 am
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More than 200 people joined Daphne Caruana Galizia's family for a candelit vigil in Valletta on Friday evening to demand justice for the murdered journalist. Held 10 years since Ms Caruana Galizia began her popular blog Running Commentary, vigil participants clutched placards with print-outs of articles uploaded to the blog. Having assembled at parliament square, the group began the brief walk to the Great Siege Monument outside the law courts, which has been turned into a makeshift memorial for Ms Carauna Galizia.  There, they chanted "Justice for Daphne...no impunity" and one of the organisers read out an excerpt from one Ms Caruana Galizia's blog posts. Other attendees declined to follow suit, despite an invitation to do so.  The vigil, held two weeks after a similar event, was organised by the Civil Society Network, Occupy Justice, Kenniesa and l-Awturi.  Activists unsatisfied with authorities' handling of the affair have said they will be keeping up the pressure on the government to ensure good governance and identify the people who ordered the October assassination.  Ms Caruana Galizia's bereaved husband, sisters and parents were all spotted among the crowd. Partit...
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Nine suspected human traffickers arrested

March 2, 2018, 8:34 am
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Nine people have been arrested in connection with a suspected human trafficking ring, authorities said on Friday afternoon. The suspects are believed to have brought 14 Asian workers to Malta, ostensibly to do low-paying cleaning work, and then used them for trafficking purposes.  Identity Malta flagged the case to police following an agency exercise to follow up on residence permits submitted by third country nationals. The permit applications had been filed by employers on behalf of the workers in question.  The information led to police arresting the nine suspects, which include both Maltese and foreign nationals, on Friday morning. None of the suspects are linked to Identity Malta, the Home Affairs Ministry said.  Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech has opened an inquiry into the case and is expected to hear the testimony of the 14 suspected victims. 
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Elderly massage parlour owner knew nothing of 'extras', court rules

March 2, 2018, 6:54 am
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A 78-year-old owner of two massage parlours in which clients were offered sexual "extras" has been cleared of living off the earnings of prostitution after a court found no evidence that he was aware of the illegal activities.  Alfred Attard had acquired the two shops, one in Mosta and the other in Ħamrun, after marrying his carer-turned-wife. Having registered both premises in his name, Mr Attard allegedly entrusted the keys and day-to-day management of centres to his wife and four Chinese employees, two of whom also shared his home. He would rarely enter the parlours, instead ferrying his wife and employees to and from work, later complaining about how much fuel the trips cost him.  Trouble brewed when, following a police raid on the shops in November 2012, the owner ended up facing criminal charges for having allegedly allowed the premises to be used for illicit purposes and for having knowingly lived off the earnings of prostitution. Police surveillance revealed that sexual activity was taking place inside, with two male customers testifying about the "extras" which they had allegedly paid for and received. Although one of the masseuses confessed that she performed such...
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Enemalta's head of accounts had a tampered smart meter

March 2, 2018, 7:24 am
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A former Enemalta division head had a tampered smart meter installed at his house, illegally cutting his electricity bills by more than half.  Louis Attard was handed a 14-month prison sentence suspended for 28 months and €140 fine after a court found him guilty despite his "sly" attempts to disassociate himself from the crime.  Mr Attard, who worked as Enemalta's Head of Accounts, got his wife's cousin, fellow Enemalta employee Anthony Mifsud, to arrange for technician Paul Pantallersco to install a tampered meter at his Mosta home, the court ruled.  The meter was installed in February 2011 and replaced three years later, in 2014, around the time Mr Pantallersco was sentenced to two years in jail for bribery and installing more than 250 tampered smart meters.  Tests by local Enemalta technicians, experts in Italy as well as an engineering professor had all confirmed that Mr Attard's meter had been tampered with. A conductive paste had been smeared onto part of the device, causing it to register a reading approximately 53 per cent lower than it should have been.  Mr Attard denied any knowledge of the tampered meter, while Mr Mifsud testified that he had never asked Mr...
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Unwarranted motorbike attention, verbal abuse lands victim with knife lodged in his back

March 1, 2018, 9:35 am
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A violent fight, sparked off by unwelcome attention for a man's motorbike, landed the victim with a knife lodged in his back and the aggressor with a five-year jail term. Valletta resident Giovanni Scicluna, 54, nicknamed 'ix-Xadin’, had been chatting with friends outside his home when he was drawn by commotion close to the spot where his motorbike was parked. The vehicle had allegedly been targeted earlier on by vandals who had urinated over it, thereby making its owner extra cautious. Calling out to the group of men standing close to his bike, he was met with a volley of verbal insults which sparked off the argument between the motorbike owner and Adam Cini, one of the gang who allegedly began to swear at Mr Scicluna. Several eyewitnesses testified how Mr Cini had refused to apologise after hurling verbal abuse at the motorbike owner. However, it was allegedly when reference was made to the accused's deceased father that the situation rapidly got out of hand. The two men came to blows until the accused allegedly attacked Mr Cini with a knife, slashing him several times before stabbing him in the back as the latter turned to leave. The final blow was so forceful that the knife...
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Valletta's infrastructural boom has residents wary

March 2, 2018, 11:10 am
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Architect Antoine Zammit raised concerns that the Valletta market did not help foster a strong community. Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina

Accessibility, land use and space appropriation concerns were expressed by participants in a study on the impact resulting from infrastructure connected to Valletta 2018. Antoine Zammit, who authored the study, said infrastructural projects such as the Valletta market worried participants in terms of space appropriation. By space appropriation one understood areas such as the square in front of the revamped Is-Suq tal-Belt being taken over by tables and chairs. Pointing out that people could only sit on the platform outside the Valletta market if they purchased items from there, Dr Zammit said the project was a missed opportunity to create a public space that could foster a stronger community. He was addressing a seminar organised by Valletta 2018 themed ‘Culture matters’, held at the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry. The study looked at four infrastructure projects: the abattoir, the Valletta market, Strait Street and the National Art Museum Muża. Dr Zammit said some of the investment made was “clearly geared to attract short-term big business, rather than fostering a community”. He lauded projects such as the abattoir, which, he said, involved residents in...
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Waste: Massive seabed clean-up planned for nine Maltese beaches

March 2, 2018, 6:24 am
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4.55pm - Added video One hundred tonnes of rubbish will be cleared from the seabed by an international team of divers in a bid to make nine Maltese beaches among the cleanest in the world. International conservation NGO Ocean Alliance announced on Friday it would be certifying a number of swim zones on the island as ‘white flag’ swimming areas.  The 'white flag' designation is issued by the NGO to beaches it has certified as being litter-free. It is not to be confused with 'blue flag' status, a conservation badge of honour granted by the Foundation for Environmental Education. Addressing a press conference in Wied iż Żurrieq, NGO chief executive Kristijan Curavić said the popular swimming zone would be the first one on the island to be certified as being completely waste free.“Our divers will be going down and bringing up a few tonnes every day until there is no waste left. Then it will be monitored regularly to ensure it is one of the cleanest beaches in the world,” he said. The clean-up was scheduled to begin today but was postponed until next week due to windy conditions along the island’s south western coastline. Speaking with Times of Malta, Mr Curavić said the white flag...
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Watch: ‘No construction bubble’, PM says

March 2, 2018, 12:05 am
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Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said on Thursday there was no imminent construction industry bubble and that the market was responding well to demand. Addressing the annual general meeting of the Malta Developers Association (MDA), he also indicated that the government would be insisting on more regulation in the property rental sector. Dr Muscat said ‘others’ keep harping that there would be a construction bubble burst and that this was going to happen soon. However, a KPMG study commissioned by the MDA shows this will not be the case. He said the study, authored by Mark Bamber – now one of the partners at Nexia BT – clearly indicated that the building industry would keep developing in the coming years. “Yes, there may be a time when the industry’s growth will not continue at the same pace but there is surely no bubble which is about to burst as some keep predicting,” Dr Muscat told those present. He also spoke about the need to take action on the rental market. The government had intended to leave the market to regulate itself but this is not happening, he noted. Dr Muscat said that a White Paper, promised last October in the Budget, would soon be published, which would include...
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