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Constitutional case filed by Caruana Galizia murder suspects to proceed

February 14, 2019, 5:04 am
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A court is to continue hearing constitutional proceedings filed by the three alleged suspects behind the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia who are claiming that their arrest and searches had breached their rights. This was the outcome of a partial judgment delivered on Thursday morning in a case instituted by brothers Alfred and George Degiorgio together with Vincent Muscat, against the Attorney General, whereby they are seeking redress for an alleged breach of fundamental rights. Their claim stemmed from the time when they were arrested and their properties searched after being targeted as suspects in the murder of the journalist who was killed in a car bomb outside her Bidnija home on October 16, 2017. While the compilation of evidence continues in their regard before the Magistrates’ Court, the three men have filed this joint application claiming that they were only shown a copy of their arrest warrant some 36 hours after their arrest. Moreover, they claimed that they had not been told the reasons for their arrest, had not been shown the search warrant, had not been present when the searches took place and that persons who were not police officers had assisted in the...
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David Thake ordered to pay €3,000 in libel damages to former policeman

February 14, 2019, 5:50 am
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The host of former radio show Tagħna Lkoll has been ordered to pay €3,000 in libel damages to a now-retired member of the police force in a judgment deploring the “poor and unethical” quality of the show, possibly reflecting “the unhappy state of public media in general”. Patrick Cassar, a former police sergeant stationed at the RIU with 23 years of experience and a shooting instructor specially trained in VIP protection, had filed libel proceedings after David Thake read an email in June 2016 in the course of his daily programme which used to be aired on Radio 101. The contents of that email, allegedly sent by a follower of the programme, had lamented certain irregularities within the police force and claimed that the applicant, identified by his rank and number, was a "taghna lkoll" member who lacked knowledge but considered himself as good as some Navy Seal or a Special Forces Operator. The contents of the email were read out in full by the programme presenter, Mr Thake, whose line of defence, when summoned to defend himself against the allegations of libel, was that “when a person called the station, I could not censor anyone,” adding that he always used to read out “every...
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BOV yet to establish who was behind cyberattack

February 14, 2019, 5:55 am
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Bank of Valletta has yet to establish who was behind a cyberattack that saw hackers transfer €13 million to overseas banks on Wednesday, forcing the bank to temporarily shut down all operations.  In comments to Times of Malta on Thursday afternoon, BOV's chief business development officer, Kenneth Farrugia, said it was still too early to say who was behind the attack.  All of the bank’s functions - branches, ATMs, mobile banking and even email services - were suspended at around 1pm yesterday after discrepancies emerged during the reconciliation of international transactions. The bank resumed operations on Thursday morning. "At this stage, we don't know who was behind it. There isn't a yes or no answer because the entry points can be through various channels. You can have someone using a USB, someone who received an e-mail with malware in it, through internet banking, and so on.  "We have started eliminating by looking at audit logs to try to find out where this came from and what the entry point was. But we have yet to determine the source," Mr Farrugia told Times of Malta.  Pressed to say whether the bank had any indication of whether the attack came from overseas or whether,...
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Suspended fisheries director says payments to her were made in her official capacity

February 14, 2019, 10:00 am
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The director-general of the Fisheries Department who was suspended after reports of a cosy relationship with a Spanish tuna kingpin accused of running a massive illegal fishing racket, insisted on Thursday she never acted incorrectly, and payments were only made to her in her official capacity of director. Andreina Fenech Farrugia was suspended on Tuesday after a media report in Spain revealed extracts of phone calls between her and the Spanish tuna rancher.  “I always acted in a professional, ethical and fair manner in terms of the law, and I was always impartial and fair with all operators and individuals involved in the sector,” she said in a lengthy statement. She said the allegations being made against her were based on summaries of alleged telephone conversations she could not confirm as having been made. Even worse, these were not word-for-word transcripts of the alleged calls, but summaries which may have been misinterpreted or taken out of context. Poor use was made of the Spanish language, a factor which may have further contributed to such misinterpretation. 'Normal to communicate with all operators every day' Dr Fenech Farrugia said she was appointed director general...
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Not all money stolen in BOV cyberattack may be found

February 14, 2019, 9:30 pm
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Bank of Valletta may never be able to retrieve the entire €13 million stolen during Wednesday’s cyberattack because reversing such transactions was no easy feat, Times of Malta has been told. Speaking a day after the bank was forced to temporarily shut down all its operations after it identified a breach, chief business development officer Kenneth Farrugia said that although the 11 transactions made by the hackers had been immediately traced it was not as straightforward to actually reverse the transactions to get the money back. “We know where the money went and into which banks but what happened at that touchpoint we do not have the visibility to know. “It’s not simply a matter of asking the banks for the money to be reversed. It does not work like that and there are banking procedures that have to be implemented,” Mr Farrugia said. He would not even give an indication of how much, if any, of the stolen money had already been retrieved, insisting it was “still too early”. Neither would he go into whether the bank had any information on how much it could eventually get back. All of the bank’s operations – branches, ATMs, mobile banking and even e-mail services –were suspended...
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Immersed Gozo tunnel ‘would cater for a monorail’

February 14, 2019, 11:24 am
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A consortium lobbying for an “immersed tunnel” on the seabed between Malta and Gozo claims its proposal is the best solution as it would leave open the option to introduce a monorail system later. It also believes that the government’s proposal to excavate a tunnel under the seabed would probably be costlier and would not offer such flexibility. These arguments were made by a spokesman for the Malta Gozo Fixed Link Consortium in an interview with the Times of Malta. Based on the principle of laying prefabricated concrete tunnel parts, which would be joined underwater, the project came to the fore last month when the consortium uploaded a short video presentation on the internet. Though it stoked debate, it also raised many questions on its viability. Spearheaded by Luke Chetcuti, the son of the late Paceville magnate Hugo Chetcuti, who originally came up with the proposal about two years ago, the consortium is still “in formation”. The spokesman declined to name the other investors saying it would be “premature at this stage” but he did say that a letter of intent had been signed with an undisclosed foreign financier – “a huge financial company involved in the insurance...
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Army promotions intended to produce desired outcome

February 14, 2019, 11:28 pm
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An investigation by the Ombudsman into controversial promotions made by the Armed Forces of Malta found that the process was “vitiated”, lacked integrity and was intended to “produce a desired outcome”. Ombudsman Anthony Mifsud said one of the main issues that led to the process being simply “a screen for the choice made” was that two of the members on the selection board had been persons of trust without any specialisation in military affairs. The controversial promotions in September 2013 included that of the present commander, Jeffrey Curmi, who had leapfrogged from major to brigadier – four promotions – in a matter of months. The investigation itself had ended up as a legal wrangle in court when former home affairs minister Manuel Mallia filed a case against former Ombudsman Joseph Said Pullicino. Dr Mallia, who eventually resigned when his official driver was involved in a shooting incident during a traffic accident, argued that the Ombudsman lacked jurisdiction to hear complaints by army officers who did not resort first to the ordinary remedy granted by law. Two years later, Mr Justice Lawrence Mintoff ruled that the Ombudsman had authority to investigate complaints by...
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Developers planning 15-storey replacement for Jerma Hotel

February 14, 2019, 8:46 am
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The developers of the former Jerma Hotel, in Marsascala, have justified their proposed 15-storey apartment and hotel development by arguing that a lower profile would have taken up too much space. A project description statement published on behalf of developers Porto Notos Ltd states that alternative designs for the project had focused on medium-rise buildings taking up a significant portion of the peninsula.  “The original proposals respected the medium-rise policy that is applicable to Marsascala but the scale of the project was too large and created no public open space,” the developers said. Marsascala is not one of the locations designated for high-rise buildings under the floor area ratio policy. The developers are attempting to circumvent this restriction by basing their application on a different policy, which allows existing hotels to extend two floors over and above the local plan height limitation. They acknowledge that the building’s height could negatively impact long-important long-distance views, particularly given the presence of the historic St Thomas Tower and nearby residences but they argue that the existing derelict hotel poses a similar hindrance. The...
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Shop owners give up on temporary roadside stalls

February 14, 2019, 7:15 am
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Infuriated shop owners have “given up” hoping for a solution to the problem of temporary stalls they face every time annual events, such as Valentine’s Day, approach. Stalls in the shape of small tents and tables popped up at every corner of the island this week, ahead of Valentine’s Day today.  In some cases, the vendors propped their wares, mainly flowers and soft toys, against chairs in empty parking bays to ensure prospective customers would have a place where to leave their cars when stopping to make a purchase. The issue has persisted for many years, with shop owners complaining they were forced to compete with street vendors who did not have to adhere to the same strict regulations on operations. The CEO of the Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises (GRTU), Abigail Mamo, said the issue was “a nightmare” and there was little hope it would be resolved.   The GRTU, she added, had discussed the matter with the authorities for years but to no avail. “There are too many loopholes and it’s an administrative nightmare. We’ve given up trying to sort the problem out even though the issues get worse every year,” she said.  Ms Mamo noted that the street vendors were often in...
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Live blog: Daphne murder suspects back in court

February 15, 2019, 12:30 am
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Three men accused of killing Daphne Caruana Galizia are back in court, as the compilation of evidence against them resumes on Friday morning. Refresh the page for the latest updates. Live blog 11.32am The hearing moves on from boating and onto other matters.  The next witness tells the court they visited Tarġa Gap to photograph the Caruana Galizia family home, and the home to photograph the Tarġa Gap vantage point.  He presents 13 photos and goes through each one, one-by-one.  11.22am The fourth boat owner tells the court he had his vessel brought over from Libya two years ago. It's still being repaired and has not been lowered to sea year.  On the day of the murder, it was on land at a yard, he says.  11.20am And after another series of detailed questions from Dr Fenech - "please circle the boat's spotlight on this photo" - it's boat owner number four who testifies.  11.16am "She's never left port in these past 10 years," the boat owner tells the court. "I only move it from the pontoon to land and vice-versa. I've never sailed out in 10 years".  11.15am A third boat owner whose vessel resembles the Maya testifies.  He's had his Wellcraft vessel since 1995 and it is berthed at...
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Multimillion-euro shooting range is still lying ‘idle’

February 13, 2019, 10:30 am
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A new “state-of-the-art” shooting range in Ta’ Kandja has not been used for months amid operational problems and discord on how the facility is to be managed. Despite government promises and millions of euros paid for jobs allocated by direct order on the pretext that the facility had to be completed in time for the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup event last June, the project was far from finished and further investment was required to cater for other international shooting disciplines such as rifle and dynamic ranges, sources close to the Education Ministry said. “So far, the facility has been used for a few days last year for just one event, the World Cup, and has been inoperative ever since,” the sources added. Notwithstanding the huge amount of money spent, the government had still not found a way to make good use of the ranges, they continued. Shooters who spoke to this newspaper termed the prevailing situation as “pitiful”, describing it as a monument to the waste of taxpayer money. “Instead of making the best use of this new range, we have been told to use other facilities because Ta’ Kandja is closed,” one of them remarked. The shooting range, which...
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Half-yearly exams go ahead in senior schools despite teachers' directives

February 14, 2019, 8:11 am
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The education directorate has stepped in after the teachers’ union ordered its member not to provide and assess Maltese and Mathematics exam papers in senior schools. The Malta Union of Teachers issued directives for secondary school teachers and heads of departments of Maltese and Maths in 2018, asking them to refrain from providing or correcting exam papers. They had also been ordered not to carry out any oral and listening examinations, or provide an assessment mark or report. MUT President Marco Bonnici told Times of Malta that the directives had been issued after the union flagged the issue of teacher shortages for some subjects. Teachers were being loaded with too many lessons, meaning they were not able to implement reforms introduced by the education authorities, he added. Maltese and Maths teachers were the most affected. The MUT directives did not apply to regularly marked homework and tests given to students throughout the academic year. The union warned it would escalate the industrial action if no solution was found to address the issue. When contacted, an Education Ministry spokeswoman confirmed that instead of allowing students to miss half-yearly exams, the...
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Animal waste clogs and shuts down Gozo sewage treatment plant

February 14, 2019, 10:23 am
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Illegal dumping of animal waste into the sewerage system has clogged the Gozo sewage treatment plant, forcing its shut-down, the Water Services Corporation said on Thursday. It said expensive equipment had been severely damaged at the plant, which supplies treated water to farmers.  Operations are expected to resume on Friday. The corporation said it was collecting the necessary information to be handed to the police.  "The sewage infrastructure is very complex and delicate and it is damaged by  improper use of the urban sewer system. "It is therefore very important that only human toilet waste and degradable toilet paper are discharged in the system," it said in a statement.  Any suspected foul play or problems with the sewer can be reported to the corporation on 8007 6400, customercare@wsc.com.mt, through live chat at  www.wsc.com.mt or on social media. MEP Roberta Metsola had flagged the problem to the European Commission last month. 
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Multimillion-euro shooting range is still lying ‘idle’

February 13, 2019, 10:30 am
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A new “state-of-the-art” shooting range in Ta’ Kandja has not been used for months amid operational problems and discord on how the facility is to be managed. Despite government promises and millions of euros paid for jobs allocated by direct order on the pretext that the facility had to be completed in time for the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup event last June, the project was far from finished and further investment was required to cater for other international shooting disciplines such as rifle and dynamic ranges, sources close to the Education Ministry said. “So far, the facility has been used for a few days last year for just one event, the World Cup, and has been inoperative ever since,” the sources added. Notwithstanding the huge amount of money spent, the government had still not found a way to make good use of the ranges, they continued. Shooters who spoke to this newspaper termed the prevailing situation as “pitiful”, describing it as a monument to the waste of taxpayer money. “Instead of making the best use of this new range, we have been told to use other facilities because Ta’ Kandja is closed,” one of them remarked. The shooting range, which...
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Watch: Schembri, Mizzi inquiries ongoing - Justice Minister

February 15, 2019, 6:01 am
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Magisterial inquiries into alleged kickbacks and corruption, involving, among others, Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri, had not been concluded yet, Justice Minister Owen Bonnici specified on Thursday. Addressing the European Parliament’s Financial Crimes Committee in Strasbourg on Monday, he declared that “two major inquiries had concluded there were no grounds to proceed against these people”, referring to Mr Schembri, the Prime Minister’s top aide, and Dr Mizzi, the Tourism Minister. However, when approached on Thursday, Dr Bonnici said he used such terminology “so people would understand”. Asked which two inquiries he was referring to, the minister said he was not actually referring to inquiries but to “legal procedures”. “I was referring to the legal process, an appeals court sentence by Mr Justice Giovanni Grixti and to the conclusions of the Egrant inquiry involving the Prime Minister and his family”, Dr Bonnici clarified. When it was pointed out to him that processes he referred to did not investigate Mr Schembri and Dr Mizzi, as he had told MEPs, and that Mr Justice Grixti’s decision was on whether a probe into the Panama Papers allegations should take place, the minister...
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'We cooperated fully with Spain over tuna scandal' - police

February 15, 2019, 5:09 am
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The Malta police have denied claims that they failed to help their Spanish counterparts with investigations into claims that a tuna farm operator may have used bribes to increase its quota. In a statement on Friday, the police said its Economic Crimes Squad cooperated fully with the Spanish authorities and handed over all required information, via the Europol channels. It also clarified that the Economic Crimes Squad started to carry out investigations in October as soon as the Malta police became aware of these allegations. It also initiated a magisterial inquiry soon afterwards to collect all the evidence. “Contact with the Spanish authorities was made immediately, even with the assistance of Europol, both by the Malta police and by the inquiring magistrate. And the investigation team also travelled to Madrid to meet with the Spanish,” it said. Read: Malta police go to Europol to discuss tuna racket probe Phone intercepts between the head of the fisheries department and a Spanish tuna rancher linked to a multimillion-euro racket led to the Fisheries Department director, Andreina Fenech Farrugia, being suspended suspended on full pay on Tuesday. She denies claims that she had...
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Walking in Amina’s shoes: the story of a migrant’s daughter

February 14, 2019, 1:15 am
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The true story of two siblings whose mother drowned on their way to Malta has inspired a publisher’s first novel featuring a black Maltese protagonist. Antoinette Borg’s Amina is an eye-opener for many, with the Maltese girl’s struggles – from being called ugly to having her nationality questioned – intertwining with the book’s narrative. The protagonist started coming alive after the author read an article in The Sunday Times of Malta in which Sr Stefania, from the Ursuline creche, in Sliema, recalled two siblings whose mother had drowned. The children had spent a few days in hospital and had no one. Ms Borg told Times of Malta she often observed unbelievably cruel attitudes towards black people and migrants, typically starting with the phrase “I’m not a racist, but…” She has always found it difficult to understand why someone’s physical characteristics, whether skin colour, weight or hair, should have any effect on other people’s attitude and why someone’s ability to be compassionate with a fellow human being should depend on whether or not they were Maltese. “Whenever we highlight a difference, we get a dimmer view of our sameness and, by a certain point, we seem to be able...
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Bonnici's "Russia-style" presentation hurt Malta - Swedish MEP

February 15, 2019, 9:15 am
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A Swedish MEP deplored what he termed as a “Russian-style” presentation made by Justice Minister Owen Bonnici to the European Parliament’s committee on financial crimes on Monday. MEP Gunnar Hökmark told the Times of Malta Dr Bonnici’s attempts to deny that there were corruption problems in Malta had damaged the country’s image. “I was surprised, and a little bit upset, by the fact that he denied everything. That is what they do in Russia. In Russia, they say there are no problems, that they have good systems,” Mr Hökmark said. The minister spent the one-hour hearing on Monday fending off reports about rampant corruption and institutional failures in Malta. He told MEPs he had total trust in the country’s institutions. For Mr Hökmark, having a justice minister denying there were problems in the country meant this same minister was part of the problem. The Swedish MEP, who hails from the EPP political grouping, said that, in a normal situation, a justice minister would express concerns about the issues being raised and vow to address them. Mr Hökmark said Dr Bonnici’s “damaging presentation” had damaged Malta and lowered the country’s standing in the committee’s...
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Man living with new partner in same block as ex-wife leads to trouble

February 15, 2019, 7:23 am
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A man, his estranged wife and their daughter ended up in court when simmering tensions and constant disputes between them ended up in a full-scale fight in the apartment block where all three allegedly lived. Emanuel Galea, a 47-year old construction worker, stood at one end of the accused’s bench, while his ex-wife, Carmen Calleja, 51, and 25-year-old daughter Stephanie Galea stood at the other end, while a policewoman stood in the middle, to keep the two warring factions apart. Although initially the man was to be arraigned separately, upon a suggestion by defence lawyers, the court agreed to hear both arraignments jointly “as long as you don’t fight,” remarked Magistrate Monica Vella. While keeping facts to a minimum so as not to risk re-igniting tensions inside the courtroom, it emerged that the man lived with a new-found partner in a flat within the same block as his ex-wife, from whom he was separated. Arguments allegedly broke out frequently, with the police being called in some five times within two days. However, tensions escalated and apparently came to a head last Wednesday afternoon when a fight broke out at the San Ġwann premises, during which stones were reportedly...
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High tourism numbers creating infrastructural challenges, PM admits

February 15, 2019, 3:09 am
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The high tourism numbers were creating infrastructural challenges, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told tourism industry stakeholders on Friday. “Let me be very clear: this is a positive challenge to be faced with, but we need to roll up our sleeves and find creative solutions to address the issue in a sustainable manner,” he said. Read: Hoteliers sounds warning of ‘over-tourism’ During the sixth Mediterranean Tourism Forum, Dr Muscat said efforts were being made to update infrastructure, for instance, through ongoing road works. The Prime Minister said high growth numbers had to be addressed in the context of a country with half a million inhabitants. Tourism results also attested to how Malta had become one of the least seasonal islands in the Mediterranean, Dr Muscat said. In light of the high growth rate, the country would also be working to attract tourists “of a greater quality”, he added. Read: Revamping tourism strategy The government was looking to diversify the sector even more, he said. Brexit would affect consumer confidence in travelling, Dr Muscat added, possibly leading to an abnormal rate of fluctuation in exchange rates, impacting the number of tourists coming to...
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