A 29-year-old Ukrainian man tragically lost his life after encountering difficulties while swimming. The incident occurred around 1:30 PM, when the police were notified that assistance was needed at Dwejra Bay, located in the limits of San Lawrenz, Gozo.

The police promptly arrived at the scene, where individuals in the area pointed out the last known location where the man was seen in the water.

Immediately, the assistance of the Civil Protection Department and the Armed Forces of Malta was requested, and they began search operations.

After approximately three hours, a body was spotted in the water, recovered, and brought ashore at the Port of Mġarr. It was confirmed to be the same man.

Magistrate Dr. Simone Grech LL.D was informed of the case and has initiated an inquiry, while the police continue their investigations into the incident.

#MaltaDaily

In a video posted on his Facebook page, PN MP Darren Carabott explained details about the alleged ‘Identità scandal’.

The allegations are of several instances of faulty and fraudulent Maltese identity documents issued by public sectors, including driving learner permits, hospital appointments, cheques from the central bank, and social security statements.

Carabott said that these documents were issued to individuals falsely claiming to reside at legitimate Maltese home addresses in order to obtain work permits. He said that errors in ID card numbers, which can result in duplicate identities, have led to personal documents, such as hospital records, being mistakenly assigned to the wrong individuals.

The PN MP further warned that these faulty identity documents could lead to authorities mistakenly entering and searching homes for individuals registered at addresses where they have never lived.

Carabott criticised the government for frequently blaming these errors on the private sector. He argued that this excuse is inadequate since private entities rely on personal information from ID cards issued by the government agency Identità.

The Nationalist MP raised concerns about how the Identity agency allowed 18,000 individuals to enter the country using false information and subsequently obtain identity documents with that same inaccurate data.

As a solution, Carabott proposed the creation of a registry that would allow property owners to verify with the government how many people are registered to live at their property and who they are. He also emphasised that the findings of the internal investigation conducted by Identità should be made public, as it is in the interest of the Maltese people.

#MaltaDaily