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PN stops membership of lawyer, outed as former freemason

September 12, 2017, 7:58 am
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Arthur Azzopardi has had his Nationalist Party membership stopped after he was outed as a former freemason, which has been banned by the party statute since 1991. Dr Azzopardi, the lawyer representing Adrian Delia in his libel cases, was a member of two freemasonry lodges from which he resigned in 2011. As a result of his membership being cancelled, he will not be eligible to vote in the party’s leadership election on Saturday. The party general secretary Rosette Thake instructed Joe Borg, the chairman of the party’s Electoral Commission to strike him off the list of eligible voters, the PN said in a statement.
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Brian Schembri in 'humiliating' dismissal from the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra

September 12, 2017, 9:30 am
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Mro Brian Schembri has been dismissed from his role as artistic director and principal conductor of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.  "This decision is an absurd contradiction with the general consensus that the unquestionable and notable artistic development that the orchestra has gone through these last few years was the direct result of my contribution," Mro Schembri said in a Facebook post. In June Mro Schembri did not turn up for a performance and sources had told Times of Malta that there was “a massive clash” between Mr Schembri and the National Orchestra’s management. READ: Maestro Schembri ‘abandons’ final national orchestra performance In today's post, Mgr Scembri said the decision to dismiss him was taken last month unanimously by the members of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) Board, under the executive chairmanship of Sigmund Mifsud. "I will not here - as yet - enter into details as to why such a humiliating decision was unfair, abusive and, in my opinion, illegal. For the moment, all I can say is that I have never in my life been treated so basely and disrespectfully by persons in authority who were supposed to support me in the job they themselves engaged...
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Government to extend bond offer for the elderly by €30m

September 12, 2017, 11:45 am
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  Pensioners who missed out on the 62+ Government Savings Bond which was oversubscribed in a matter of hours will have a second chance to benefit from this scheme, as a further €30 million will be offered, the Finance Minister announced this evening. Prof. Edward Scicluna was addressing a public consultation meeting in the run-up to the 2018 budget, set for October 9.  Launched on September 4, the bond scheme was meant to offer pensioners an additional revenue stream through an interest rate of three per cent payable twice a year. The initiative for which the finance ministry had allocated €70 million was oversubscribed on the first day, with the value of the bids received being in the region of €100 million. The scheme was rolled out in response to criticism that returns on interest rates on fixed bank deposits were no longer attractive and the elderly, in particular, had suffered a drop in income. Asked by a member of the audience, what additional measures would be taken by the government, especially for the elderly, Prof. Scicluna said that a further increase in pensions over and above those introduced in recent years was in the pipeline.  Touching on the 62+ scheme, he said...
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Drug abuse is not a personal choice, Adrian Delia insists

September 12, 2017, 6:41 am
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  Substance abuse is not a personal choice and the war on drugs should not be abandoned, PN leadership hopeful Adrian Delia said this afternoon.  Addressing a press conference, Dr Delia told reporters that he disagreed with Health Minister Chris Fearne that drug use was a personal decision, saying it affected all those around them. “The decision to use drugs affects family, friends, and wider society too. It has an impact on so many around the user, so I don’t agree that it is purely a personal choice,” Dr Delia said.  Asked if he agreed, however, that the war on drugs had failed, given the body of research backing this position, the political newcomer said there was plenty of research showing that drug use was harmful. “I think that as politicians we need to be responsible. The way to wage the war on drugs is the question parties should be looking at a debating, and not in a partisan way, but in the best interests of people,” he said.  The theme of this afternoon’s press conference was youths and sport. Dr Delia said investing is sports was a sure way to keep young people off the streets and off gadgets. “As opposition leader I would want to build on what has already been...
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New roof in place at Ta’ Ġieżu Church in Rabat, three weeks after cave-in

September 13, 2017, 1:09 am
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Updated at 2pm with AX Holdings A temporary roof has been put in place to replace the section which caved in over the altar of  Ta’ Ġieżu Church three weeks ago.  The Franciscan Fathers hope to eventually replace it by a dome.   Bank of Valletta CEO Mario Mallia paid a visit to the church to present the bank’s donation towards the repair work . Read: Rabat people in shock as ceiling collapses over the altar at Ta' Ġieżu church AX Holdings, a private company specialising in construction, development, hospitality and healthcare, has also donated financial support. Franciscan Provincial Richard Grech has warned that much more is needed, citing €300,000 as being required for the dome alone. “The altar table has been completely destroyed while the old main altar suffered considerable damage and might also need to be replaced,” Fr Grech explained. “The altar floor also needs to be completely replaced due to the damage sustained with the tons of debris that fell onto it.” “Although financial assistance has been forthcoming, we are still a long way off from being able to complete this project which includes the construction of a dome over the altar.” Donations may be made by depositing...
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Hazardous waste dump to serve as stopgap once landfill is full

September 12, 2017, 12:16 pm
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The authorities are reviewing proposals on how best to deal with the rising tide of rubbish.

An empty hazardous waste dump in Maghtab will soon start to be used as a landfill after the government established that it would not be able to build an incinerator before the Għallis landfill is full. Government waste management experts told the Times of Malta that while the 55-metre deep Għallis landfill will reach capacity within the next 18 to 24 months. It would take around six years for a new incinerator or alternative waste plant to be operational. “That leaves us with a gap of a few years with nowhere to put our waste. Luckily we have another site which we can use for landfilling and which has a three-year capacity to tide us over,” the government experts said. READ: Where will our waste go once Magħtab fills up? The backup site in Magħtab was initially built as a dump for asbestos and other dangerous materials. Since this waste is regularly shipped off the island, however, it remains virtually empty. The experts said the government long ago identified the dump as a stopgap in case the main landfill reached capacity before an alternative waste system could be introduced. “We always knew this landfill was there, so we knew that if our backs were against the wall, we...
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“Financial services are thriving” – FinanceMalta hits back at poor index ranking

September 12, 2017, 6:53 am
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The financial services sector is thriving, FinanceMalta has responded, a day after a global services index gave Malta a poor ranking in the sector.  The number of investment services licence holders went up from 149 in December to 163 in June 2017. Sixty new funds were established in the first six months of 2017, and the registration of services providers increased from 67 in 2015 to 158 in 2017. In 2016, FDI was up by €9.5bn to €151.4bn, of which 98% came from financial and insurance activities, and retirement schemes were up from 36 in 2015 to 50 in June. ew company and partnership registrations increased to 2,625 in the first half of this year compared to 2,523 for the same period last year. New company and partnership registrations increased to 2,625 in the first half of this year compared to 2,523 for the same period last year. “All these indicators amply show that the financial services industry in Malta is robust and is by no means showing any signs of weakness or fragility as might have been implied in the said report,” FinanceMalta chairman Kenneth Farrugia said. He was referring to the recent Zyen Global Financial Services Index, where it was reported that Malta fell 8...
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Lower fines for minor hunting illegalities

September 12, 2017, 9:40 pm
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The government is willing to negotiate a downscaling of penalties for minor hunting offences but will continue to take a tough stand on serious infringements, the Times of Malta has learnt. Government sources said meetings had already been held with both the hunters’ federation, FKNK, and conservationists BirdLife to discuss a review of “draconian” hunting penalties. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had said during the election campaign the consequences of hunting infringements were too harsh and the time had come for a position that was more rational. READ: Animal Rights junior minister discussed lower fines with hunters on Facebook Infringement fines were increased by the government in 2014 after a series of incidents involving the shooting of protected birds. A person convicted of shooting or trapping protected species now faces a €5,000 fine and a maximum of one year in prison. The fine can rise to €10,000 in the case of a second conviction. Former Ornis Committee chairman Mark Anthony Falzon had agreed that the introduction of prison sentences for hunting contraventions was a step too far. Sources said yesterday the government was willing to introduce lower fines for minor...
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Delia offers ‘hard evidence’ on London property claims

September 13, 2017, 5:30 am
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‘Documents show I committed no crime’ – Adrian Delia. Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina

Throughout the PN leadership campaign, Adrian Delia’s biggest challenge has been to quell doubts on his integrity in the face of allegations in his regard, particularly by Daphne Caruana Galizia. Among other things, the blogger claimed that, in 2003, money from a London-based prostitution racket had passed through a Barclays International Jersey account belonging to him. Keen to clear his name, Dr Delia invited this newspaper to view “hard evidence” in the form of documents, which he says, prove his innocence. Keith Micallef reports. Timeline of events (based on the available documents) January 4, 1999 – Healey Properties Ltd is incorporated in the Bahamas by ILS Corporate Services Ltd, a corporate service provider to whom the ultimate beneficial owner is known. April 14, 1999 – Adrian Delia, the sole director, is granted power of attorney on behalf of Healey, valid for five years, to obtain a loan facility backed by cash collateral (money held at Bank of Valletta), to enable the purchase of a property in 52, Greek Street, Soho, London. September 27, 1999 – On the instructions of his client Healey, Dr Delia instructs BOV to transfer funds to Chathams, a firm of solicitors...
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Where a mistake means death

September 13, 2017, 5:26 am
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Checking for landmines on a Rwanda hill.

A plaque has been unveiled at the Upper Barrakka, in Valletta to commemorate the work of explosives disposal teams in Malta in World War II and since. Vanessa Macdonald spoke to Ben Remfrey, founder of the main sponsor, Praedium Consulting Malta, about how a company that runs mine-clearing courses ended up in Gozo. Almost every bomb disposal expert has that moment when time stands still. For Ben Remfrey, it was when he turned around after a successful mission neutralising explosives circling an oil well in Kuwait. “I looked at my footprints in the oil sand and saw the tip of an anti-personnel mine sticking out. I had stepped right on it – but it had no fuse,” he said with the slightest shudder. Mr Remfrey is not one to allow fear to paralyse him. He joined the British army in 1979, aged just 16, and spent 10 years as a commando, building up experience in demolition and explosives. He left the army, but the first Gulf War was just the excuse he needed to go back to what he loved: his expertise was sought by oil-well firefighter Red Adair to help with clearing booby-trapped areas near oil wells so that they could be capped. After three years, family pressures lured him to...
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Mayors and migrants meet as President brokers meeting

September 12, 2017, 1:20 am
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Representatives from various local councils and migrant communities have met with President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca to discuss tensions which have strained community relations in recent weeks.  Mayors from Marsa, Ħamrun, Floriana, Pieta', Gżira, Paola and Birżebbuġa all attended the meeting, as did Local Councils Association president Mario Fava.  All those present agreed that the current situation of social deprivation in certain towns was untenable and required immediate intervention and enforcement. They noted that substandard housing, unaffordable rent prices, substance abuse, labour exploitation, mental illness, racism, and a sense of uncertainty, hopelessness, and lack of opportunity were all contributing to problems in the area.  Maintaining order in the community, upholding the law regarding non-discrimination and fair employment, and introducing regulation of an abusive rental market were key to resolving issues, they agreed.  Migrant-led NGOs shared examples of abuse and discrimination migrants suffered, and made it clear that they condemned any lawlessness. They called on all refugees and asylum seekers to respect local laws.  Marsa residents have announced they...
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Disbarred lawyer fears contracting scabies in prison

September 12, 2017, 8:05 am
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A disbarred lawyer currently facing charges of misappropriation and fraud running into some €7.4 million this morning reiterated his request for bail, pointing out that his court-ordered transfer to Division 15 could possibly land him in contact with a case of suspected scabies. This latest twist in the ongoing court saga of lawyer Patrick Spiteri came to light this morning during a sitting presided over by duty magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit who replaced Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona who has since retired. READ: Patrick Spiteri moved to empty prison ward The request for bail has been made before three different magistrates who are presiding over different proceedings related to the charges which had led to the extradition of Dr Spiteri from the UK upon a request by the Maltese authorities. Acting on the strength of some seven European Arrest Warrants, British police had arrested the former lawyer who was, last May, eventually sent back to Malta after having been medically certified as fit to fly and to stand trial. Reiterating the arguments made only last week, during a separate sitting before Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera, defence lawyer Stefano Filletti stressed...
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Motorcyclist seriously hurt in Mosta

September 13, 2017, 11:04 pm
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A 27-year-old man from Lija was seriously injured following a traffic accident in Mosta this morning.  The Yamaha motorcycle driver crashed into a Renault Kadjar on Triq l-Aħwa Galea at 6am. The 54-year-old man who was driving the car, who comes from Mosta, was not hurt. Police are investigating.   
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Impassioned call for national burden sharing of migrants

September 13, 2017, 10:01 pm
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Simon Busuttil yesterday called for national burden sharing, dismissing the proposal to close the Marsa open centre and move migrants to Ħal Far. “The European Court last week gave credence to arguments made by Malta and other European countries when it refused Slovakia and Hungary’s case against solidarity. However, are we embracing the concept of solidarity in Malta?” he said. “The people of Marsa have been suffering for years. We are no longer in a crisis situation, receiving one boat after another, so there should be burden sharing within Malta itself.” Moving the Marsa open centre to Ħal Far was no solution, he added. Dr Busuttil’s comments follow an appeal by migrant-led NGOs and councils for urgent action to address issues fuelling tension and concern among the residents in localities hosting migrant open centres. The Times of Malta reported last week that the government planned to close the Marsa open centre and transfer its 160 residents to Ħal Far. However, the plan was put on hold in the wake of complaints by Birżebbuġa residents. Dr Busuttil, the outgoing PN leader, was addressing the National Youth Parliament, which offered the opportunity to young people aged 19...
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Watch: Chris Said open to second-pillar pensions debate

September 13, 2017, 3:46 am
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Chris Said has said he is open to discussing the possibility of introducing second-pillar pensions but made it clear he is against increasing the retirement age.  The Nationalist Party leadership candidate and Gozitan MP Chris Said outlined his plans for pensioners in a news conference at the PN club in Sliema this morning. Dr Said said that he favoured introducing an allowance for people who cared for their grandchildren, sparing their parents from sending them to a childcare centre. “Though the economy is booming, the wealth generated is not trickling down to this sector of society, and during this campaign I have come across many cases of pensioners struggling to make ends meet,” he said. Asked about second pillar pensions – a fund system sustained by contributions from both workers and employers – Dr Said was non-committal but said he would be open to exploring such a measure. Second-pillar pensions were first proposed years ago as part of the pension reform, but the idea has been put it on the backburner by successive administrations, amid huge objections from employers. However, while Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has come out strongly against second pillar pensions, the PN...
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Watch: 'Why don't you go to Syria?' Malta's illegal hunting problem in new documentary

September 14, 2017, 3:07 am
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The illegalities plaguing hunting and trapping are highlighted in a new international documentary.  The 30-minute documentary, obtained through Times of Malta's exclusive agreement with ARTE, was filmed last spring. The programme gives an insight into the work of the Committee Against Bird Slaughter and the ongoing problems that the group faces whenever monitoring the situation on the island.  It quotes activists saying the police do not have the resources, and sometimes, the willingness, to deal with the number of illegalities.  At one point, the activists are confronted by a hostile poacher who tells them to go to Syria if they really wanted to see birds.  It also shows empty beer cans strapped to an overhead wire to lure birds out of trees to be trapped or shot. Members of CABS are also seen buying birds from an open-air market, something they describe as incredulous, since the police headquarters are based nearby. European culture channel ARTE produces bold documentaries and arts programmes, uploaded daily on Times of Malta. 
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Siġġiewi residents protest over exaggerated development

September 13, 2017, 10:46 am
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Around 60 residents met on Dun Manwel Zammit Street in Siġġiewi this evening, protesting over planned social housing development which they believe will increase congestion and density issues in the area. The public meeting was organised by the local council, which is calling for a decrease in the number of units, an increase of community facilities and open public spaces for recreation. Mayor Alessia Psaila Zammit said that instead of listening to the residents' appeal, the authorities on Monday gave the green light for additional units and fewer underground parking spaces. The housing block, overlooking fields and not far from the local primary school, will consist of 84 housing units. Dr Psaila Zammit told those present, some of whom were carrying placards, that when she asked the authorities for open spaces within the site, she was told that there will be a road accessible by cars. When she appealed for fewer units, she was told that had it been a private initiative, the development would have been even larger. Dr Psaila Zammit said this was not justifiable and the public authorities should lead by example. She also noted that a few meters away from the ongoing development,...
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Police accused of racial profiling in Birzebbuġa

September 14, 2017, 2:20 am
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A man asked for identification by police officers at Birżebbuġa has claimed that he was targeted simply because of his skin colour.  In a Facebook post, the man, a businessman, described how three officers approached him on Pretty Bayon on Tuesday. When he asked them why he was being targeted, police allegedly replied "“No, no, we are asking all the foreigners”.  According to the man, however, police did not approach any of the white foreigners at the beach at the time. The man subsequently described the "humiliation" in a Facebook post.  “Isn’t this a textbook definition of racial profiling? I don’t even live here. I’m working and I have just arrived with the client," he wrote. "For how long do we have to go through a public humiliation in this country? Some of us have built families, who happen to be Maltese, here."  Racial profiling is a complex legal definition which is acknowledged globally and with contextual interpretations. The American Civil Liberties Union says racial profiling "occurs when law enforcement and private security target people of colour for humiliating and often frightening detentions, interrogations, and searches without evidence of criminal activity...
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Public holidays and leave: not if, but when and how

September 14, 2017, 12:49 am
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There is no timeframe yet for the introduction of leave to compensate for public holidays falling on weekends as talks between the government and the social partners continue. Equality Minister Helena Dalli said the question was not whether the pledge will be honoured but the method with which it will be introduced. Talks moved forward fast during the administration's first 100 days, she added. The proposal was a key electoral pledge. The options on the table included an outright addition to annual leave entitlement of public holidays falling on a weekend and introduction of bank holidays on Mondays following the weekend. Some employers have also asked to be given the right to decide themselves whether to bank the leave or include it in the annual vacation leave for employees. Dr Dalli, however, excluded an option proposed by a union for financial compensation for public holidays falling on a weekend rather than an increase in leave entitlement. “This proposal does not fall within the spirit of the family-friendly measures we are trying to introduce to allow people more quality time,” she said. Dr Dalli said talks for a complete overhaul of the employment and industrial...
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Pulling out of last concert led to conductor sacking

September 13, 2017, 10:45 pm
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Brian Schembri

Brian Schembri’s decision to pull out of last June’s season-closing concert was the straw that broke the camel’s back, forcing the National Philharmonic Orchestra to sack its conductor, this newspaper has learnt. In a Facebook post two days ago, Mro Schembri announced he had been “unceremoniously sacked” following a unanimous decision by the management board headed by Sigmund Mifsud. Considered among the best musicians in a generation, Mro Schembri was appointed artistic director and principal conductor in January 2014, following a very successful career here and abroad. In his announcement, Mro Schembri did not mince his words to express his feelings, saying he had never been served such a “humiliating” treatment in his life. “This decision is an absurd contradiction with the general consensus that the unquestionable and notable artistic development that the orchestra has gone through these last few years was the direct result of my contribution,” he said. News of Mro Schembri’s departure prompted world-renowned Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja to appeal for a compromise, saying it would be a great pity to lose such talent. “I can definitely vouch for the fact that we don’t have...
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