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Seized smuggled goods to go under the hammer

March 22, 2019, 10:37 am
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Undisclosed amounts of smuggled alcohol and tobacco products seized by Customs will be sold by auction later this month. The 28 lots to be auctioned include whisky, brandy, vodka, gin, rum, tequila, port, sherry, aperitifs and liqueurs. There is also beer, wines, other alcoholic drinks, cigarettes, cigars and tobacco. The sale by auction will be held on March 29 at noon at the Newport bonded stores in Marsa. The items can be seen at the bonded stores between 8am and noon and from 12.30pm to 3pm between Monday and Friday. More details about each lot are available on the tender form, which can be obtained from the Newport bonded stores.
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Six women request their passports back

March 23, 2019, 4:52 am
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Just over a week after being handed a suspended sentence after admitting to their involvement in a prostitution racket, six women were back in court requesting their passports back. Colombian nationals Johana Bermudez Patino, Yeiny Carolina Ayala Moncada, Luisa Fernanda Villalba Monsalve, Maria Valentina Sanchez Quiguanas, Laura Cristina Loaiza Acevado and Daniela Cardona Carrillo had been released from custody on March 14 following their arraignment, each having been handed a 12-month jail term suspended for four years. Read: Sliema brothel raid lands eight in court The young women had pleaded guilty to living off the earnings of prostitution, running a brothel and using the Sliema premises for prostitution purposes. The day after judgment was delivered against them, their lawyer filed an application before the Magistrates’ Court requesting release of their passports. A week later, in view of the fact that the request had not yet been acceded to, lawyers assisting the women attempted a different route, filing special proceedings, known as habeas corpus - an action intended to remedy illegal arrest. Tantamount to illegal arrest - lawyers In proceedings on Friday afternoon,...
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Pensioners' property scheme is desperate - PN

March 23, 2019, 2:11 am
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Updated 11am with PL statement A government initiative urging pensioners to borrow money by putting up their property as a guarantee has been described by the Opposition as a desperate attempt to address the pensions problem. Instead of revising the system, the government is continuing to put pressure on pensioners and their next-of-kin, the PN statement signed by spokesmen Mario de Marco and Claudio Grech said.  One in five pensioners is living in poverty or is at risk of poverty, and yet the government is urging pensioners to go into debt through the newly-unveiled Equity Release scheme, the PN said.  "This is a government which has lost its sense of social justice and does not care about vulnerable people." Labour hits back A party which left pensions frozen as it served 25 years in government has no credibility, the Labour Party hit back.  In a statement, the PL said the government had a plan spread over a series of initiatives to help pensioners, including a raise in pensions.  It said the Equity Release scheme was a totally voluntary one which is already being used by the private sector. "Pensioners have every right to choose what to do with their property and how to...
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St Julian’s council opposes Wied Għomor 24-storey hotel

March 23, 2019, 12:01 am
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The St Julian’s local council is to formally object to a 24-storey hotel just metres from the protected Wied Għomor Valley.  Despite being in a development zone, the towering hotel will ruin the aesthetics of the area and will also jar with its surroundings, the council is insisting.  The council voted to formally object following a request tabled by St Julian’s deputy mayor Albert Buttigieg, who found cross-party support for his proposal.  The site, measuring just over 3,000 square metres, is in Triq Mikiel Anton Vassalli, corner with Triq Mikiel Ang Borg, the slip road to Spinola Bay just outside the Regional Road tunnel. The area is not Outside Development Zone.  The development, being proposed by Tum Invest, an offshoot company of the Tumas Group, proposes a three-storey car park and an overlying hotel over 24 storeys. There are no details about the number of guest rooms and other ancillary facilities being proposed such as a pool and an outdoor area. The application simply says “with related amenities”.  The Planning Authority’s Design Advisory Committee said that “the extensive height of the proposed structure will negatively impact the surrounding properties and...
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Muscat urges Delia to seek magisterial inquiry

March 24, 2019, 4:28 am
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Updated at 2.40pm with PN reaction Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has urged Opposition leader Adrian Delia to request a magisterial inquiry into money laundering allegations which he says have haunted the PN head for the past two years. Four months ago The Sunday Times of Malta reported how a London-based prostitution racket and the alleged involvement of Dr Delia were part of an ongoing money-laundering investigationby the police. Dr Delia had vehemently denied any wrongdoing. Addressing Labour Party supporters at Marsascala on Sunday morning, Dr Muscat said that while he would not get into the allegations that Dr Delia faced, insisting he would wait until investigations were concluded to comment, he urged the Opposition leader to go to a magistrate and request an investigation into the claims. “We are not like those who protested in the streets in an attempt to destabilise the country. We have always been consistent on this and so we will judge the Opposition leader when the investigations are concluded. But it would have been better had he asked for an investigation, just as I had done. After two years of allegations, Dr Delia should go to the magistrate himself and ask for an...
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'No one will intimidate me,' Delia tells party supporters

March 24, 2019, 5:20 am
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Updated at 2.46pm with PL reaction A magisterial inquiry is looking into documents containing his forged signature, Adrian Delia told party enthusiasts gathered at the party’s Mellieħa club on Sunday. He called for the investigations to quickly establish whether there are links between the documents and money laundering allegations concerning him. The Sunday Times of Malta had reported last December that the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit had compiled a detailed report into Dr Delia, finding a reasonable suspicion of money laundering and flagging six-figure transactions they believe were linked to a Soho racket. Police investigators have now said that they may not be able to follow up the FIAU's work, saying the case may be "too hard to crack".  Dr Delia is alleging that his signature was forged on a number of financial transaction documents. He first made the allegation on Saturday evening, telling the media that he had handed the documents to the police.  Those documents, he told party supporters on Sunday, were now the subject of a magisterial inquiry.  Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat advised Dr Delia to request a magisterial inquiry into money...
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Dubai sheik wants to buy Mistra project

March 24, 2019, 8:00 am
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Finance Minister Edward Scicluna is under pressure to sign a permit that would allow a member of Dubai’s ruling family to buy the project to build hundreds of apartments on the site of the former Mistra Village tourist complex in Xemxija, The Sunday Times of Malta can reveal. The Dubai sheik, whose name is not being divulged for data protection reasons, is asking the Office of the Prime Minister to be issued with a special AIP (Acquisition of Immovable Property) permit, which would enable him to purchase the entire project from Gemxija Crown Holdings, the Maltese company which owns the development. Pressure to comply is being exerted on the Finance Ministry by various quarters, particularly senior officials at the OPM. However, the Finance Minister, Edward Scicluna, has been advised not to issue the permit as this would constitute a clear breach of the Immovable Property (Acquisition by non-residents) Act. “Such a permit, if granted, will be totally illegal and the Finance Ministry would be breaching the law and might be challenged. This legal advice has already been delivered to the minister,” a legal source told this newspaper. “If the minister signs such a permit, as the law...
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Turn Naxxar church area into 'car-free' core, not roundabout

March 23, 2019, 5:01 am
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The Naxxar church area should be turned into a car-free village core and not a traffic-choked roundabout, Alternattiva Demokratika insisted on Saturday. This can be done with better management and diversion of traffic, AD chairman Carmel Cacopardo said, pointing out that cycling infrastructure is virtually non-existent in Naxxar. This increase in traffic continues to deteriorate air quality and therefore contributes to respiratory diseases, among other problems. "Naxxar, like all major localities in Malta is choked with unbridled growth and with traffic. The urban environment, that is so essential to residents’ quality of life is under siege," he told a news conference. People and not cars should be given priority on residential roads, more so in the narrow streets of village cores. This can be done several ways, including by minimising speed in residential areas to a maximum of 30km per hour as well as the development of infrastructure to encourage the use of bicycles. Read: Developers propose trading system to 'protect' quaint urban areas He said the proposal made earlier this week by the Malta Developers’ Association so that they compensate so-called lost development...
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Men acting suspiciously in Gżira held by police

March 24, 2019, 3:05 am
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The police are holding two men who were caught acting suspiciously near a car in Gżira early on Sunday. In a statement, the police said the men were close to a car in Triq Sir William Reid. They were carrying tools, allegedly stolen. The men were apprehended at around 2am.
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Agricultural crisis: ‘This generation thinks carrots grow in supermarkets’

March 24, 2019, 7:10 am
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As experts continue to sound the alarm about the crisis that risks killing the local farming industry, one lobbyist warns that Malta is losing all agricultural know-how and that “we are raising a generation of children who think that carrots grow in supermarkets”. James Lupi Spencer, the founder of popular Facebook group Dilettanti tal-Agrikoltura, Siġar u Pjanti, pointed a finger at the lack of basic education in schools as one of the biggest reasons behind the increasingly discouraging difficulties being faced by the industry. “It may sound like an exaggeration, but I bet you that if you carried out a quick poll among young children, asking where carrots come from, many would reply: the supermarket. I hear this sort of thing on a daily basis. It is almost funny, except that it is sad,” Mr Lupi Spencer says. The young amateur farmer blames this lack of basic knowledge on a system that is failing to equip students with practical information about our culture and indigenous industries. “I do remember being taught an amount of practical information when I was still at school. We were taught simple cooking using local ingredients, how to grow tomatoes and herbs at home... that sort...
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Concrete in the countryside: MPs have yet to set a debate date

March 24, 2019, 2:31 am
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With no date yet set for a parliamentary debate on the “biodiversity destruction” caused by ongoing roadworks in rural areas, there are concerns that by the time the matter is on the agenda it will be too late. The concerns were raised by two Opposition MPs who sit on Parliament’s Environment and Development Planning Committee. They recently made separate requests for a debate on the outcry in the wake of works in Wied l-Isqof and Il-Lunzjata in Rabat and Wied is-Sewda in the limits of Żebbuġ. The controversy erupted after it transpired that vegetation was being obliterated during the concrete surfacing of country roads and lanes used by farmers. The Environment and Resources Authority issued a stop and compliance order, however Times of Malta reported that last Monday works at Il-Lunzjata had nonetheless continued. Opposition MP Jason Azzopardi filed a request to Environment Committee chairman and Labour MP Alex Muscat on March 4 to debate the matter while denouncing the “biodiversity destruction”. Democratic Party leader Godfrey Farrugia also tabled a similar request in which he expressed his concerns on what he described as physical alteration to valleys and changes to the...
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Woman critical after accident

March 24, 2019, 5:11 am
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A 59-year-old woman who lives in Xewkija is in a critical condition following a traffic accident in Xewkija. The police said the accident happened in Triq Santa Katerina at 4am. The woman lost control of the Nissan Almera she was driving and crashed into a wall. She was taken to Gozo General Hospital by accident and later transferred to Mater Dei by helicopter. An inquiry is being held.
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Jesuit residence opens up in more ways than one

March 24, 2019, 10:10 am
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Located just next door to the University, the new Youth Hub officially opened on Wednesday provides a welcoming, multi-functional space that also offers practical support and friendship. When a ‘Youth Hub’ was inaugurated last Wednesday at Dar Manwel Magri, the Jesuit residence near the University of Malta, the project involved more than simply removing a little-used library in a large area at the front of residence and replacing it with easy chairs for students to ‘chill out’ in. The opening of wide doors at the front of the building, located next door to one of the University’s main entrances, has facilitated access to its entire ground floor, while the Jesuit community has moved its living quarters to the first floor. Previously people had to climb a long flight of stairs to reach the main door. Most of the books previously held at the Jesuits’ library have been donated to the MUSEUM library in Blata l-Bajda, while some went to the Jesuits’ Mount St Joseph retreat house in Mosta. The project’s realisation is a long-held dream come true for the local Jesuit community. Provincial delegate Fr Michael Bugeja SJ pointed out that Fr Gianfranco Matarazzo SJ, provincial of the new...
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Bailed and warned not to set foot in Marsa

March 24, 2019, 6:23 am
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A 26-year-old man from Żejtun was granted bail against a deposit of €500 and a personal guarantee of €4,500 after pleading not guilty in a case of domestic violence.  The incident happened on Saturday afternoon when the defendant allegedly tried to assault his estranged partner and threatened her during an argument which began when he went to pick up their daughter.  Duty magistrate Aaron Bugeja, who presided over the case, warned the accused not to approach the alleged victim, nor to set a foot in Marsa where she resides. He was also warned that any breach to the protection order issued against him in favour of his estranged partner could result in a jail term and a fine of up to €7,000. Police inspector Oriana Spiteri prosecuted, while lawyer Lucio Sciriha was defence counsel.
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Transit passenger pays a hefty price for undeclared cash

March 24, 2019, 6:34 am
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A Yemeni man paid a hefty price for not declaring €14,000 he was carrying while transiting through Malta International Airport, as he ended up losing half of this sum to the Maltese authorities. Mohammed Abdullah Ahmed Al-Wahaishi, 55, was arrested on Friday evening at Malta International Airport prior to boarding a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul on his way to Saudi Arabia, where he resides. Police inspector Keith Vella told the court that the cash, which was found by customs officials in the defendant’s bag, comprised different denominations, though the bulk was in the form of 50,000 Saudi riyals (€11,800).  Facing duty Magistrate Aaron Bugeja, the man pleaded guilty and apologised, insisting that this was a genuine mistake. Lawyer Mario Mifsud, who appeared on his behalf told the court that the man was not aware that cash control restriction in Malta were tighter than in Saudi Arabia. The court fined the man €3,431, in line with the law which says that the penalty must be equivalent to a quarter of the overall sum. The defendant also lost another €4,000, which customs officials had confiscated at the airport. This sum is equivalent to the excess over the €10,000...
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Old photos lead to emotional family reunion after decades

March 25, 2019, 1:30 am
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Equipped with just decades-old photographs and scant information about her uncle who had passed away in the 1930s, an Australian woman still managed to trace her relatives following an appeal in the Times of Malta. Coral-Anne Laurence flew over with her family, looking for the relatives of a boy whose heart-broken mother had destroyed all existing photos of him when he died aged nine. Frederick Mudle was born in Malta more than 90 years ago to Emily and Henry, head groundsman of the then Corradino football grounds.  Ms Laurence, the daughter of one of his sisters, Norah Jane, had said she would love to pay her respects to her uncle. However, the only information she had was the date of his death, the cause – “cardiac paralysis per endocarditis” – and that he had been buried at the Santa Maria Addolorata Cemetery. When James Ishmael, Ms Laurence’s second cousin, read her appeal in the Times of Malta he started looking for the boy’s resting place, successfully locating it. Mr Ishmael’s mother, the late Harriet, had sought refuge in the bomb shelter on the Corradino naval football grounds with her relatives, including her cousin, Norah Jane. Although Mr Ishmael was aware of his...
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Watch: Air Malta workers protest against 'unacceptable' hours

March 25, 2019, 2:42 am
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Air Malta apron workers gathered in front of the Office of the Prime Minister on Monday morning to protest against the sudden changes in their working conditions. Around 50 workers gathered in Valletta insisting on a meeting with Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi, as they lament changes to their shifts. Loader Charles Cuschieri told the Times of Malta that a new shift system has been forced on several departments of the national airline, which meant they would have to work “unacceptable” hours. Workers who gathered on the steps of the Auberge de Castille said the decisions ostensibly were being taken by Air Malta’s senior management without the consent of Dr Mizzi. “So we came here to see what’s going on,” one irate employee said. Air Malta has been in the headlines recently, as the company last week posted a profit for the first time in more than a decade. The profit of €1.2 million was the result of an increase in revenue of over €7 million generated by a rise in passenger traffic of around 11 per cent and decreasing fuel costs. The airline had registered a loss of €10.8 million in 2017.
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Drunk drivers still getting behind the wheel in spite of lower limits

March 24, 2019, 10:30 pm
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Slashing drink-driving alcohol limits had little to no impact on traffic accidents, with intoxicated motorists still getting behind the wheel, according to insurers. Alcohol limits for motorists were slashed to almost half in January last year but the impact was so “minimal” that insurance companies reporting no improvements in accidents involving drivers who had consumed extra drink. Speaking to the Times of Malta ahead of a conference on drink-driving next month, Malta Insurers Association head Adrian Galea reiterated concerns that the changes to laws were not effective, insisting that the number of people caught drunk behind the wheel was not realistic. “When one considers that, over the past five years, 946 people were arraigned over drink-driving charges and of these only 548 were found guilty, it is clear not enough is being done,” Mr Galea said. While the insurers were “happy” with the government’s decision to slash the limits, something which they had argued in favour of for years, the changes were “not of much use” if the rules were not being properly enforced. “Do we honestly believe that only two people every week are driving under the influence? This is why our...
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Sunday lunch in Mġarr goes horribly wrong

March 24, 2019, 10:58 pm
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Sunday lunch at a restaurant in Mġarr turned out to be a dramatic affair, with a fight leaving one man seriously injured. The police said that they were called to intervene at 5.30pm when things got out of hand at the restaurant in Triq il-Magħkuba. Several people had got embroiled in the fight but a 56-year-old man from Msida was seriously injured and had to be hospitalised. His condition was later reported as being serious. Investigations are still under way.
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Malta fails its first Moneyval anti-money laundering test but...

March 25, 2019, 2:20 am
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Malta’s anti-money laundering regime received a poor grade in a draft Moneyval evaluation, with the government now scrambling to push up its final score before the summer deadline.  The Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism, known as Moneyval for short, is a permanent monitoring body of the Council of Europe. It assesses compliance with the principal international standards to counter money laundering and the effectiveness of their implementation. A senior source told The Sunday Times of Malta that a draft report by Moneyval had “failed” Malta when it evaluated the country’s actions and preparedness in complying with rigid anti-money laundering legislation. However, veteran financial service practitioners said that while this might appear  “alarming”, there was still time to improve.  “Countries do often fail in the draft report and then manage to turn it around for the final document, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the country’s final score is better than this,” one source said.  A government spokesman last night emphasised that the evaluation was still far from complete and would only be so when Moneyval...
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