Fuel stations hearing disrupted
Environmental activists brought a Planning Authority hearing on an ODZ fuel station in Luqa to a lengthy halt on Thursday after storming the public meeting. They demanded that the hearing be suspended and that no fuel station permits be considered until the conclusion of a promised review of the controversial policy governing such developments. The stand-off lasted for about an hour before PA chairman Vince Cassar ordered the meeting moved to different premises where activists were denied entry by the police.
What made the headlines
Acid attack suspect ‘not fit to stand trial’: A man suspected of stabbing a 50-year-old woman, Jacqueline Dipasquale, with a screwdriver before dousing her with acid is not fit to stand trial and cannot be charged with the attempted murder yet, the Times of Malta revealed. Sources said the man, Noel Calleja, 38, from Santa Venera, was not interrogated by the police who immediately took him for psychiatric examinations when they saw signs that he was emotionally unstable. He was sent to Mount Carmel Hospital.
Whistleblower ‘mistreated by police’: The Russian whistleblower who alleged that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s wife held a Pilatus Bank account to receive corruption money claimed the police in Malta mistreated her during her interrogation in August 2016.Maria Efimova, who is currently under arrest in Greece over two outstanding Maltese warrants, was speaking during an interview with the Greek newspaper Kathimerini. The Maltese police have denied her claims.
David CasaUK crime agency to ‘review’ Casa material on Pilatus Bank: The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said it would “review” material provided by MEP David Casa about what he termed as “evidence of systemic money laundering” at Malta-based Pilatus Bank. Pilatus Bank operated a Mayfair branch after it passported its Maltese banking licence to the UK. The bank’s owner, Seyed Ali Sadr Hasheminejad, faces up to 125 years in prison in the US on money laundering and sanction busting charges.
Top MFSA banking supervisor steps down: Karol Gabarretta, the long-serving director of the Malta Financial Services Authority’s banking supervision unit has stepped down, the Times of Malta revealed. When asked why he was leaving now, after 15 years working for the MFSA, and whether the move was linked to the Pilatus Bank controversy, Mr Gabarretta replied he felt it was time to move on.
Banking lobby kicks out Pilatus: Pilatus Bank was kicked out of the Malta Bankers’ Association with immediate effect. The association said in a statement it had noted “with concern” the events surrounding the bank over the past weeks.
Students failing to obtain ‘basic cognitive skills’: Students in Malta are still not obtaining basic cognitive skills, a result of youths leaving school too early, a report on the state of education in the European Union has shown. Drawn up by the World Bank, the report – Growing United – notes that while education attainment has increased throughout the EU, “too many young people still do not obtain basic cognitive skills”. It lists Malta among the Member States where this is a result of students abandoning their studies at a young age, where close to 20 per cent of youths are categorised as “early school leavers”.
Wied Għomor guesthouse is given the green light: A five-floor guesthouse in Wied Għomor was given the go-ahead in a controversial turnaround by the Planning Authority. Three weeks ago, the Planning commission stated its intention to reject the application as it went far beyond a previously-approved permit for a villa and pool and introduced a whole new block in a sensitive area. However, the three-member board changed its tune and voted two to one in favour, citing modified plans submitted a day before the hearing.
Government drops University governing board plans: The idea of the University of Malta having a governing body was scrapped after drawing the ire of both students and academics. The governing board would have had a final say in certain instances, such as the annual budget. The main bone of contention was the fact that three to five of its members would have been directly appointed by the Prime Minister. A new strategy and financial committee is being proposed, which will, however, only have an advisory role.
HSBC may leave Malta – Bloomberg: HSBC might leave Malta, according to international business news agency Bloomberg. It reported that the island was among the smaller operations HSBC Holdings Plc chief executive officer John Flint and chairman Mark Tucker were considering pulling out of.
What trended
Josef CaruanaFor and against the Archbishop
The initiative by OPM staff member Josef Caruana to urge his followers on Twitter and Facebook to sign a petition calling for the removal of Archbishop Charles Scicluna, as well as Castille distancing itself from this move, not surprisingly led to a chorus of online comments, some in favour of the Archbishop and others against.
Mr Caruana’s move came after Mgr Scicluna retweeted an article by The Shift News comparing clientelism in Malta to that in places such as Naples.
“We are all judged by the company we keep. The OPM can try to distance itself from this man’s thoughts and opinions, but if not for his thoughts and opinions, then why was this man appointed to the OPM?” one man bitingly observed.
To which another reader replied: “Same applies to the Church. If the Archbishop continues to put his fingers in the political pie then it’s not our fault if he does not appeal to a big chunk of the population. I for one do not accept Archbishop Scicluna as the head of the Catholic Church I form part of.”
The retorts got angrier: “Mgr Scicluna is not paid from our taxes and you, and Labour lackeys like yourselves who are only good at licking your Prime Minister’s backside need to understand that the only persons to leave should be Konrad, Keith and Joseph... otherwise known as the corrupt trio!”
One reader went so far as to imply that because the government subsidises Church schools, then the Church should keep its mouth shut when it comes to criticism of the government. “Don’t you know that our taxes are paying the salaries of Church schools’ teachers?” he said.
Another was adamant that the Archbishop has the right to express his opinions. “As a citizen of Malta, the Archbishop has the same rights to freedom of expression as the rest of us. As the person chosen by the Pope to lead the Catholic Church in Malta, Mgr Scicluna has the responsibility to offer guidance to the members of the Church,” he said.
One reader insisted the Archbishop was right to take on the political culture. “The Church like any organisation has the right to comment on anything under the sun. The Archbishop does well in commenting and airing his views on the terrible mess Labour and PN have brought us in, a political system where a government is elected by the number of personal favours that it gives or promises.”
What they said
“Destroying the unborn child is uncivilised, is wrong morally and should remain legally forbidden since it can amount to murder, to genocide or, certainly, to cruelty.”
John Vassallo, Malta’s former ambassador to the EU, writing in a ‘Talking Point’ entitled ‘The artificial womb’, in the Times of Malta.
“I am still speechless! The PA has ridiculed its own rules, ridiculed professionals, environmentalists and local councils. What a mess. We really are going mad.”
Swieqi mayor Noel Muscat reacting to the U-turn by the Planning Authority which approved a controversial application for a five-floor guesthouse in Wied Għomor.
“This is a cry for European culture to continue the call it has made over the past 2,000 years: asking for God to remain with us.”
Archbishop Charles Scicluna speaking after he consecrated the Our Lady of Mount Carmel sanctuary, in Valletta, after a six-month €500,000 marble paving job. The church was originally built in 1570 but was badly damaged during World War II and was rebuilt.
“I followed the situation closely and I agree that it [Pilatus Bank issue] is a very big problem. However, I cannot say whether the MFSA acted correctly because I simply do not know.”
New MFSA chairman John Mamo addressing the parliamentary Public Appointments Committee.