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PA inundated with objections to St George’s Bay ‘monster’

May 9, 2018, 11:01 am
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The Planning Authority is being inundated with objections, particularly from Pembroke and Swieqi residents, to the grant of a development permit for a mega project on the site currently occupied by the ITS in St George’s Bay, the Times of Malta is informed. Sources at the PA said that more than a thousand objections had already been filed and many more were expected before the closing date for submissions later this month. “We imagined that this controversial project would be vehemently opposed. However, we never expected such a negative response. We are overwhelmed,” a senior PA official admitted. Residents of Pembroke and Swieqi are organising themselves in groups to oppose the multimillion-euro project, which they claim “will bury us alive”. TIMES TALK: 'We'll stop other PA meetings if we have to' The objections to the PA were made on grounds including the lack of a master plan for the area, the proximity of the development to existing residences, permanent shadows, environmental hazards and the “monstrous nature of the whole development”. Objectors are also complaining that the development proposal by the db Group, owned by the Seabank Hotel entrepreneur Silvio Debono,...
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Malta seen as one of the more corrupt countries in Western Europe

May 9, 2018, 10:09 pm
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Malta is still perceived by country experts and business people as one of the “more” corrupt countries in Western Europe in spite of moving up one place on a Transparency International index. The interviewees’ ratings are used to compile the Corruption Perceptions Index. Malta ranked 46th out of 180 countries in the index. Just seven EU countries were perceived as being more corrupt - Italy, Slovakia, Croatia, Greece, Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria. Malta’s score had not significantly improved over time, indicating that the government was not making progress against corruption in the public sector, they told the Times of Malta. Until very recently, the country’s anti-money-laundering framework had serious flaws, particularly on the rules related to politically exposed persons (PEPs), beneficial ownership transparency and due diligence by financial institutions, they added. Mr Kelso and Ms Martini noted that the government had been “very slow” to respond to these issues, missing the deadline to transpose the Fourth EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive. Read: Malta gets an anti-money laundering strategy Legislation on the directive was only adopted on December 19, 2017, and came into...
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PA funds projects in five localities

May 10, 2018, 12:46 am
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The Planning Authority has signed an agreement with five councils for projects in localities aimed to enhance residents’ quality of life. The value of the agreement is of more than €70,000. In Żejtun, the authority will fund the restoration of a one-storey building characterised by a shrine dedicated to St Joseph. The deteriorated shrine and the building, carries a number of bad practice interventions. Located between Marsaxlokk and St Joseph streets, the niche is constructed in the baroque style with semicircular recesses and crowned by a double cornice. It is topped with a cross on a pedestal in the middle and originally had two spherical decorative elements on each of the columns. The decorate sill lies on two decorated corbels which support the whole niche. A decorative plaque with indulgences is placed between the two corbels. Paving works will be carried out at Triq il-Kalati in Sannat. This narrow street which has a dilapidated asphalt surface will be upgraded giving it a predominantly pedestrian character. New public convenience facilities will be constructed in Misraħ iż-Żerniq in Kirkop. Frequented by many locals, this public open space needs basic facilities to ensure...
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Malta's meat diet pushes up carbon footprint

May 10, 2018, 3:43 am
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Malta placed 32nd of 130 countries in carbon emissions due to its meat-based diet, a study on food consumption has revealed. This is calculated using the amount of food supplied for consumption and how many kilos of CO2 per kilo are produced per person annually. This data is split between animal-based and non-animal-based diets. The data looks at the amount of animal produce (pork, poultry, beef, lamb and goat, fish, eggs, and milk – including cheese) and non-animal produce (wheat and wheat products, rice, soybeans, nuts – including peanut butter), which is supplied for consumption in each country. Read: Malta goes from EU's best to worst CO2 emissions performer According to the study, conducted by Nu3, a company that produces healthy products, the Maltese make almost 600 kilograms of carbon emissions per person per year from the beef the island consumes. A total 121 kilos of CO2 are produced from the pork consumed, while 270 kilograms of carbon emissions come from the 190 kilos of milk and cheese products supplied per person each year. On average, 34 kilograms of pork, 26 kilograms of poultry, 24.5 kilograms of fish, 19 kilograms of beef and 11 kilograms of eggs are consumed...
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Gozo businesses, workers concerned with poor Gozo Channel service

May 10, 2018, 4:02 am
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The Gozo Business Chamber has expressed concern at the current service being offered by Gozo Channel. It said in a statement that the large number of vehicles crossings, as well as unexpected “bomb scares”, were causing long queues and loss of time to those wanting to cross over for work or important appointments, such as those relating to health, business, and air travel. Gozo Channel was temporarily suspended for security checks on Tuesday after an anonymous bomb threat. The chamber said it was being inundated with phone calls from many members who were missing their appointments for delivery and collection of wares, apart from the fact that they had to face additional costs to pay the drivers overtime for the extra waiting time at Mġarr and Ċirkewwa. This situation was detrimental to business in Gozo and a disincentive for Maltese/foreign investors who were considering investing in Gozo. The time for consultations and discussions was up and the chamber wanted to see drastic immediate action as the situation had now reached melting point. Statement by Association for Gozitan Employees in Malta In another statement, the Association for Gozitan Employees in Malta said technical...
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Court says Delia lawsuit on VGH hospitals contract can go ahead

May 10, 2018, 5:13 am
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A civil court has declared that a lawsuit filed by Opposition Leader Adrian Delia to rescind the contract between the government and Vitals Global Healthcare, was a matter of great national importance. The pronouncement was made by Mr Justice Silvio Meli, presiding over the case instituted by Dr Delia against Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, the Attorney General, Malta Industrial Parks and VGH calling for the Karin Grech, St Luke’s and Gozo hospitals to be given back to the public because contract conditions had not been respected. The Prime Minister, the AG and the Lands Authority had raised a preliminary plea claiming that the suit was inadmissible since it could only have been filed up to the date when the final deed was signed.   However, Dr Delia’s lawyers had countered that this argument fell within the merits of the case and was not to be tackled as a preliminary plea. When the case was called on Thursday morning, the court said that this case was one of “great importance” and therefore was not to be broken down into various preliminary stages which could, as in the majority of cases brought before the courts, be decided upon in one final judgment rather than piecemeal...
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Watch - Double disappointment for Malta at the Eurovision

May 10, 2018, 1:00 pm
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Updated 11.13pm - There was double disappointment for Malta at the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest on Thursday as the official entry – Christabelle – and Maltese singer Jessika, representing San Marino, both failed to qualify for the final night. Their exit confirmed dire predictions by bookmakers, even though Christabelle’s odds had improved immediately before the show. esctoday.com, the specialist website on the Eurovision Song Contest, reported that Malta’s odds had risen ‘to the heartbreak eleventh spot’. It had previously been steady at 13th. Christabelle, who was 12th on the stage at the show in Lisbon, gave a powerful performance of her song Taboo, complemented by light effects and pyrotechnics. Jessika’s performance of Who We Are, earlier, will be remembered for the way she danced with a small robot. Half of the votes were cast by an international jury during a dress rehearsal on Wednesday, with the remainder by televoting by the public at the end of Thursday’s show. Ten out of 18 participating songs qualified from the second semi-final. Another 10 qualified from the first semi-final on Tuesday. The 20 qualified songs will join the entries from the...
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Chief civil servant refuses to say how many definite work contracts became permanent

May 10, 2018, 6:51 am
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Principal Permanent Secretary Mario Cutajar

The office of Principal Permanent Secretary Mario Cutajar would not say how many definite work contracts within the public sector were changed to indefinite posts before the last election. Refusing a Freedom of Information request, Mr Cutajar said that the information requested was being turned down, as according to the law “the document requested is not held by the public authority [his office] and the person dealing with the request has no grounds for believing that the document is held by, or connected more closely with the functions of, another public authority”. OPM sources described this response as “very strange”, as public servants who had their contracts transformed from definite to indefinite had followed a government directive issued by Mr Cutajar. Two weeks before the announcement of the last general election, which took place in June, Mr Cutajar issued a directive in which he wrote that in order to continue to improve the conditions of employment of public sector employees, all those who were on a definite, time-barred contract would have their employment conditions transformed into an indefinite contract. Mr Cutajar instructed all government entities and agencies...
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Four-year obsession lands young man in court

May 10, 2018, 5:00 am
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A young man who had been imagining a relationship with the woman of his dreams for the past four years landed on the wrong side of the law by refusing to take no for an answer. The 29-year old unemployed had apparently been stalking and harassing the young lady since 2014, having known other members of her family for a long time. A simple friendship was apparently not enough for the man whose attraction eventually developed into an obsession which spelt a nightmare for the young woman and the rest of her family members. Incessant calls and messages were followed by unexpected and unwelcome visits to the home and workplace of the victim and her relatives. After years of silent endurance, the woman finally decided to take action, turning to the police for help. The alleged culprit was arrested and arraigned, pleading not guilty to charges of stalking, harassment and threats through electronic means. As both the prosecution and the defence made submissions on bail, a rather different picture emerged as to the behaviour of the young man. “This is not a man who was ever violent. Here is a man who is mentally unwell,” defence lawyer Gianella de Marco explained, pointing out that it...
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Council cuts pigeon population without resorting to culling

May 10, 2018, 11:46 am
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The Birżebbuġa local council has caught 470 wild pigeons. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

A local council is claiming success in its bid to reduce the wild pigeon population – without resorting to controversial measures like culling. In a matter of weeks, almost 500 pigeons were caught in Birżebbuġa under a plan which included the introduction of fines for feeding the birds, which were becoming pests. Contacted by the Times of Malta, Birżebbuġa mayor Joseph Cutajar said until recently the problem was out of control: “In some areas residents could not even hang their laundry or wait for a bus, for fear of being hit by pigeon droppings. “Triq San Filippu and Triq San Patrizju were among the worst hit,” he said. However, Mr Cutajar, who is also a race pigeon enthusiast, is against the idea of culling. Instead, the council opted for pigeon traps, the likes of which are used in races, which were strategically placed near the fodder. “With the feeding ban in place, the starving pigeons were easily attracted to these traps, and in a matter of weeks around 470 were caught,” the mayor said. Asked how the council was disposing of the birds, Mr Cutajar said some of them were being handed over to pigeon enthusiasts on the condition they would not be set free in the wild, while...
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Gaming companies had threatened to leave Malta due to ‘mafia infiltration’

May 10, 2018, 10:27 pm
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Gaming companies threatened to leave Malta after Italian prosecutors “exposed” mafia infiltration of the industry, industry sources told the Investigative Reporting Project Italy. According to the sources, a number of companies told the Malta Gaming Authority they would pack up and leave if it failed to clean up the sector. The Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI), investigating the links as part of the Daphne Project, found what it termed as a persistent lack of cooperation with Italian prosecutors seeking to freeze assets of a Malta-based gaming company having suspected mafia ties. The threat of multiple gaming companies leaving the island came about after a Palermo court issued 26 arrest warrants in an operation called Game Over. The probe uncovered the extent of ties between Italian organised crime and the gaming industry in Malta. Among those arrested was Benedetto Bacchi, described in the media as the “king of gambling”. Palermo prosecutors termed his operations as an “ATM with a continuous cash flow” that allowed money to be withdrawn to serve the needs of mafia clans. The MGA started suspending the licences of gaming companies listed in the Game Over indictment...
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Oil storage terminal in Birżebbuġa refused

May 11, 2018, 6:22 am
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The site for the proposed oil storage terminal in Birżebbuġa.

Plans for a new oil storage terminal in Birżebbuġa have been turned down by the Planning Authority after years circling the drain. The PA board on Thursday unanimously rejected the application, which had met with strong opposition from residents and the Birżebbuġa local council. Applicant Yush M Sultan Al Junaidy had been seeking since 2010 to build a land-based oil storage terminal along jetties for large vessels, connecting pipe-lines, workshops, storage, offices and control rooms. The facility would have taken up an area of nearly 125,000 square metres fronting Triq Kalafrana, on good quality arable land adjacent to the Freeport. The local council had insisted Birżebbuġa could not absorb the impact of another oil terminal, noting that the effects of the existing facility nearby, and also the Freeport, had already been substantial. Architect Carmel Cacopardo, representing the local council on the board on Thursday, took the PA to task for the “deplorable” eight-year delay in deciding the application and reiterated that increased development in the area would have a negative impact on residents. The application had been stalled for about two years before yesterday’s decision...
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Missing Caruana Galizia laptop prompts court application by murder suspect

May 11, 2018, 10:03 am
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Alfred Degiorgio “il-Fulu” has argued that his right to a fair trial is being breached by investigators’ failure to obtain Daphne Caruana Galizia’s laptop. In a constitutional application filed on Friday, Mr Degiorgio’s lawyer William Cuschieri said that police were failing in their duty to collect all evidence for and against the accused and accused the police commissioner of “having done nothing and doing nothing currently” to obtain the murdered journalist’s laptop. Mr Degiorgio is one of three men accused of murdering Ms Caruana Galizia. Her laptop, Dr Cuschieri argued, could contain “sensitive information about third parties responsible for the murder”. Mr Degiorgio’s lawyer also accused the attorney general of “doing nothing to ensure that the evidence exhibited by him and the commissioner of Police is whole and complete and not partial and selective.” In the application – one of two filed by his lawyer on his behalf on Friday –Dr Cuschieri said police have not obtained the laptop because Ms Caruana Galizia’s family have refused to hand it over. “Strangely and unfortunately, it appears that the other parties or some of them are letting the family of Daphne Caruana Galizia...
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PA funds projects in five localities

May 10, 2018, 12:46 am
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The Planning Authority has signed an agreement with five councils for projects in localities aimed to enhance residents’ quality of life. The value of the agreement is of more than €70,000. In Żejtun, the authority will fund the restoration of a one-storey building characterised by a shrine dedicated to St Joseph. The deteriorated shrine and the building, carries a number of bad practice interventions. Located between Marsaxlokk and St Joseph streets, the niche is constructed in the baroque style with semicircular recesses and crowned by a double cornice. It is topped with a cross on a pedestal in the middle and originally had two spherical decorative elements on each of the columns. The decorate sill lies on two decorated corbels which support the whole niche. A decorative plaque with indulgences is placed between the two corbels. Paving works will be carried out at Triq il-Kalati in Sannat. This narrow street which has a dilapidated asphalt surface will be upgraded giving it a predominantly pedestrian character. New public convenience facilities will be constructed in Misraħ iż-Żerniq in Kirkop. Frequented by many locals, this public open space needs basic facilities to ensure...
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Car goes up in flames

May 10, 2018, 12:02 pm
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A Peugeot 307 car was destroyed in a blaze which spread quickly on Thursday evening. The incident happened at 8.45pm across the road from the Kinds showroom between Lija and Mosta. No one was injured. Fire-fighters put out the fire.  mynews@timesofmalta.com  Facebook: Times of Malta
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Malta-based European Asylum Support Agency in disarray

May 10, 2018, 11:26 pm
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The Malta-based European Asylum Support Office.

Staff at the Malta-based European Asylum Support Office have complained about harassment and a “culture of irresponsibility”, even claiming they are subjected to “psychological violence”. The complaints on the state of the agency and the way it is being managed were made in e-mails employees circulated among colleagues. Just a few weeks ago, the management board instructed EASO director José Carreira not to make human resources and procurement-related issues before obtaining the chairman’s clearance in writing. The Times of Malta reported earlier this year the agency was being investigated by the European anti-fraud office, Olaf, following allegations of irregularities, with the focus being Mr Carreira. He is strongly denying accusations of misconduct in procurement procedures, irregularities in human resources management and possible breaches of data protection. The EASO provides support to member states facing immigration problems, monitors the situation and offers training relating to the implementation of the common European asylum system. The agency has been sited in Malta since 2011 and is now focused on ‘hotspots’ in Italy and Greece. Read: Auditors clear all EU agencies,...
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Watch: Minister silent on controversial 10-year-deal with Electrogas

May 11, 2018, 3:27 am
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Energy Minister Joe Mizzi would not pronounce himself on the controversial deal through which taxpayers are losing millions on the purchase of LNG for the power station. Mr Mizzi was asked for his reaction at the end of a news conference on Friday, regarding a €10 million project by the Water Services Corporation to upgrade the distribution network in the Siġġiewi, Qrendi areas. The controversy over the purchase of LNG by Enemalta from Electrogas erupted following revelations by the Daphne Project that State energy company Enemalta last year could have saved $40 million had it acquired the gas directly from Shell. Enemalta instead bought its LNG consignments from the Electrogas consortium as part of a 10-year deal. Electrogas had bought the fuel through Azerbaijan state-owned company Socar, with the latter buying directly from Shell. Asked if the government was willing to revise the terms of this 10-year deal with Electrogas, Mr Mizzi skirted the issue saying it was very important to have a good energy mix so as not to rely on one source alone for the country’s power generation. When it was pointed out to him that the issue at stake was the hefty price which Enemalta was being...
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Reżistenza Malta demands Konrad Mizzi's resignation

May 11, 2018, 1:00 am
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A poster showing a ball sitting on a roulette's black 17 was this morning stuck to the door of the Tourism Ministry in Valletta by Reżistenza Malta. In a tweet, the organisation said the Daphne Project had furnished incontrovertible evidence of Minister Konrad Mizzi’s connection to 17 Black. “We demand your resignation and action by #FIAU & #MaltaPolice.” According to leaked documents, 17 Black was a “target client” for Dr Mizzi’s secret Panama company. Watch: ‘I don’t know who owns 17 Black’ Dr Mizzi opened Hearnville Inc in Panama after Labour was elected to office in 2013. According to a leaked e-mail sent in December 2015 by his financial adviser Karl Cini of the audit firm Nexia BT, Hearnville was to receive €150,000 in “monthly transactions”. Meanwhile, 17 Black received payments of $1.6 million from two businessmen associated with the new Delimara power station. READ: Mizzi and Schembri remain silent on 17 Black 
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Is-Suq operators push to be allowed more tables and chairs

May 11, 2018, 8:10 am
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A majority of board members – five to four – indicated their intention to vote against the application. Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina

The Planning Authority has taken a dim view of plans for another catering area at the renovated Suq in Valletta, in what was meant to be an outdoor exhibition space. The PA board yesterday expressed its intention to reject plans by Arkadia Group, which was granted a lease to restore and operate the old covered market, to place tables and chairs on the paved area in front of the building. The forecourt on Merchant’s Street was part of the building’s original structure which was rebuilt during the restoration project. The application also includes a glass railing enclosing the area. Tables and chairs have been in place there without a permit since the market had opened in January, even though the application was submitted as a new development rather than to sanction the illegality. Moreover, deputy chairperson Elizabeth Ellul noted during the hearing yesterday that the project architect had previously stated that the area in question would be used as an exhibition space. READ: Curious crowds flock to Valletta's market This declaration had had a bearing on a previous application decided by the Planning Commission.  Other board members also expressed reservations over the increased...
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Mellieħa Bypass works awarded by direct order

May 11, 2018, 9:45 am
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Works on the reconstruction of Mellieħa Bypass started a few weeks ago. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Contractors engaged on the €2 million Mellieħa Bypass project were granted a direct order, with Transport Malta saying it wanted to “expedite” the works. Moreover, the project which includes a new slip road on a tract of land outside the development zone, was exempt from going through the scrutiny of a full development application thanks to a legal notice enacted two years ago. Works on Triq Louis Wettinger started a few weeks ago following a public outcry against the decision to narrow part of the arterial thoroughfare making it three instead of four lanes. This “realignment” was necessary to make space for a new road, servicing a massive block of 152 apartments, still under construction, which overlooks the bypass. The issue was raised in Parliament last March by Opposition MP Robert Cutajar who feared the result would be a traffic bottleneck and seeking an explanation from the government. Transport Minister Ian Borg initially justified the move, insisting it was in line with a planning policy approved in 2015 and noting that the new layout would make the road safer. However, faced with mounting criticism, he backtracked within 24 hours and said the plans had been revised to...
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