Daphne, six months later

Archbishop Charles Scicluna celebrated Mass at the Church of St Francis in Republic Street, Valletta, on the sixth-month anniversary of the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. He told the congregation that for justice to be achieved, all of society must collaborate, even if we do not benefit personally. A vigil was later held in front of the law courts near the memorial to Ms Caruana Galizia at the Great Siege Monument.

What made the headlines

PN MPs get free vote on IVF: Nationalist Party MPs will get a free vote on the new IVF Bill, Opposition leader Adrian Delia announced. Dr Delia said there was a healthy debate within the party on the proposed amendments to the current law.

Daphne Project: No politicians have yet been questioned in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder probe, as the police continue to believe the person who ordered the assassination was likely part of an orga­nised crime syndicate. This emerged from a five-month-long investigation by the Daphne Project, which brought together media houses including The New York Times, Reuters, The Guardian and Süddeutsche Zeitung, the newspaper behind the Panama Papers. The Times of Malta too is involved. The Daphne Project also found that the police fear the murder suspects were tipped off about their impending arrest in December. The investigation led to two patrons of a Siġġiewi bar who claim they saw Economy Minister Chris Cardona with at least one of the murder suspects there. Dr Cardona said he did not “recall” having any discussions with any of the three individuals accused of carrying out the car bombing. After its request for a ministerial statement on the allegations about Dr Cardona was denied, the PN walked out of Parliament.

Konrad Mizzi and Keith SchembriKonrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri

$1.6 million paid to Schembri and Mizzi’s ‘target client’ 17 Black: $1.6 million was transferred to 17 Black, a Dubai firm listed as one of the “target clients” that would make payments to Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi’s once-secret Panama companies, leaked documents show. The two men’s financial advisers, Nexia BT, said in a newly leaked e-mail obtained by German paper Süddeutsche Zeitung 17 Black would pay money to Mr Schembri and Dr Mizzi’s Panama companies via accounts they tried to open in the Bahamas. The findings are part of an investigation by the Daphne Pro­ject. The government’s anti-money-laundering agency traced two payments, amounting to $1.4 million, to 17 Black from a company in the Seychelles called Mayor Trans. The company is owned by an Azerbaijani national. The money was transferred to 17 Black in November 2015 via ABLV, a Latvian bank that closed down recently due to money-laundering violations. Both Mr Schembri and Dr Mizzi deny any wrongdoing, saying no bank accounts were ever opened for their Panama companies.

One voice to safeguard Malta’s patrimony: A coalition of heritage groups called for measures to address what they consider the State’s intolerable failure to protect the country’s patrimony as guaranteed by the Constitution. Our Legacy, a declaration signed by 22 organisations, calls for a blanket presumption against the demolition of historic buildings in Urban Conservation Areas, a binding list of scheduled properties and more resources for the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.

Nexia BT ‘withheld’ information: Nexia BT “withheld” information from the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit during investigations involving Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi, according to a leaked report. The FIAU started investigating the two after Daphne Caruana Galizia outed them in February 2016 as having set up secret Panama companies sheltered by trusts in New Zealand.

Busuttil, Casa file court application for probe into Mizzi, Schembri: Former PN leader Simon Busuttil and PN MEP David Casa submitted a court application requesting a magisterial inquiry to investigate Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri following the latest “explosive and shocking” revelations emerging from the Daphne Project.

€8 million Church property given for palliative care: A Church-owned property in Santa Venera worth €8 million will be turned into a modern palliative care hospital after an agreement was signed between the Archdiocese and Hospice Malta. It is expected to receive its first patients by 2021.

Destruction of villa could lead to prison: The destruction of the historic Villa St Ignatius in Sliema could land the Planning Authority’s head of enforcement, a developer and an architect in prison following a court ruling. Madam Justice Anna Felice ruled the demolition of a large part of the landmark had violated a court order and called upon the Registrar of the Courts to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the three.

What trended

Sea views

In a week character­ised by calls for ministers to resign, it was perhaps fitting that a photo of plastic chairs cemented into a quay in Mellieħa spread like wildfire across Facebook.

“Just when I thought I had seen it all,” wrote one reader in reaction to the ridiculous sight. “Stupid is as stupid does,” agreed another, although one reader argued that the culprit could hardly be blamed: “They have to bolt everything down over there, I’ve had mops and floor cloths taken right off the doorstep!”

Others, though, saw the funny side: “Wonder how much they’re charging,” one reader mused, their mind perhaps drifting to the deckchair racket that makes headlines every summer.

Another reader had the answer: “Incredible sea views, €200K each,” he wrote. Estate agents, eat your heart out.

Experience?

Virtu Ferries was not too happy about Gozo Channel’s decision to award a fast ferry tender to a rival bidder, highlighting con­cerns that the winner had been set up a week prior, despite the tender re­quiring bidders to have five years’ experience.

Reactions were a mixed bag. A number of readers called out Gozo Channel, saying the deci­sion was “a joke” and asking, almost sarcastically, whether it would be reviewed.

Some were unable to resist taking a dig at the complaining party – “I’d rather travel with an ‘inexperienced’ company than having to take a loan just to go to Sicilia,” one gentleman wrote – while others argued that the two companies that own the newly formed firm that was awarded the bid both had ample exper-ience in the sector.

High hopes

A newly launched scheme offers SMEs funds in exchange for becoming more energy efficient. News of the scheme gave one reader especially high hopes:

“Perhaps the SMEs who will benefit from this scheme will consider passing some of it to their customers by lowering their prices,” they augured, before dropping their punchline: “Am I being naive?”

What they said

“After the last election, she considered stopping the blog because she felt it hadn’t helped at all and she wasn’t getting anywhere with people.”

Peter Caruana Galizia, husband of slain journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, revealing in an interview with the Daphne Project that his wife had considered ending her blog after Labour’s landslide electoral victory last year.

“I find this totally surreal. It’s straight out of a Mafia film, where the crooks get away with murder whereas people fighting for justice are silenced.”

Former Opposition leader Simon Busuttil reacting to being summoned for questioning  by the police about the use of his car when posters calling for justice were put up to mark six months since Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder.

“I’m threatened by the family that if I divulge anything about the investigation I will be held liable and they will accuse me of interfering and I will expose myself to five years in prison.”

Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia declining to comment on reports that the three men accused of murdering Daphne Caruana Galizia were tipped off prior to their arrest.

“I am a member of the Labour Party, the government, and when they issue a statement I subscribe completely to what they say.”

Justice Minister Owen Bonnici refusing to comment on the latest reports that cast another shadow over Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri and referring to a Labour Party statement on the matter.  

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