700 people reported missing last year in Malta

Jan 31 2022

Malta’s Police Force have received reports of missing persons on a daily basis, with most, fortunately, resulting in positive outcomes.

Last year, the police investigated reports of over 700 people who were reported missing. TVMNews was informed that two of the reports are still being investigated as there is still no indications of the persons concerned.

The most common cases concern the elderly, with Inspector John Spiteri saying that apart from this age group, persons entering Malta as illegal immigrants and minors under a care order who do not return on time consist of the most common missing cases.

The inspector said that police investigations start as soon as the report comes in, because, according to him, those are the most crucial moments to start establishing certain facts about the person and what could have happened.

In the first month of this year, police asked for the help of the public three times. Two were cases wherein two elderly people were missing – a 71-year-old Englishman living in Kerċem and a 76-year-old man from Sliema. They were both found a few hours after the request for assistance was issued.

The public was also asked to help locate a 29-year-old Libyan who was a resident of the Santa Marija rehabilitation centre in Luqa. He was last seen on 28th November, but has not yet been found. Spiteri also said that when a person is reported missing, an alert is triggered in a system to which the police have access throughout the European Union.

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Prime Minister’s Planning Authority retainer doubled to €17,110 a month

Jan 31 2022

Prime Minister Robert Abela’s law firm has more than doubled from €7,300 per month to €17,110 in 2019 through a Planning Authority (PA).

Documents seen by Times of Malta show how Abela Advocates, the PM’s law firm, was paid over €1.2 million in that period for work that is largely handled in-house by the PA. Defending the fees, a spokesperson for Abela said that the very long hours of work carried out by the firm’s lawyers ‘extended also to the weekends.’

Tens of thousands in additional payments from the PA for court fees were paid to Abela Advocates, with the lucrative contract originally assigned to George Abela, the current PM’s father. This was back in 2001, when he was a partner with planning law expert Ian Stafrace in Abela, Stafrace and Associates.

The PA continued extending the contract by giving direct orders to Abela Advocates instead of issuing a fresh call for applications upon its 2011 expiry. The firm only renounced the brief who Abela became prime minister in 2020.

Invoices show that the retainer was fixed at €7,376 per month between 2013 and November 2015. It increased to €12,292 when the law firm also started to represent the PA in Environment and Planning Review Tribunal appeals, which follows the resignation of the authority in-house lawyer for such appeals.

Rising incrementally by 39% between March 2018 and March 2019, it hit €17,110. A spokesperson said that the sums reflected spikes in demand by the authority for legal services as a result of the rise in planning applications filed and ensuing legal issues connected to them.

‘Moreover Abela Advocates was physically present at the authority’s offices on a daily basis. The taxed bill of costs were payable in accordance with the contract for legal services.’

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How to handle bullies | by Ed’s Common Sense

Jan 31 2022

Recent events in Malta have shown that we may not be taking bullying seriously enough. The aggressive and unwanted behaviour, especially amongst youths, is to be condemned and if possible, avoided. That’s why this week, clinical psychologist and psychotherapist Dr. Edward Curmi is here to give us a couple of tips on how to handle bullies. Take a look and let us know what you think!

Dr. Edward Curmi is also the author of 2 self-help books titled Ed’s Common Sense.

1. Walk away subtly when the bully approaches you. Try and imagine you’re walking away from a stranger. Act like you don’t care.

9 signs that you are an overthinker

2. When coming close to a bully distract yourself and focus on something completely different.

9 signs that you are an overthinker

3. When the bully approaches you, count to 100 and keep walking. They must never see how upset you are.

4. Never show you are upset. Keep walking and don’t turn around no matter what they say.

5. When a bully tries to upset you if you ever need to say something tell them calmly ‘everyone has a right to their own.’

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LESA will still pursue quarantine breach fines despite rulings

Jan 31 2022

LESA law enfacement agency will still follow up on its cases against individuals who were fined for breaching quarantine regulations. This comes despite a magistrate’s decision that it has no legal power to enforce the rules.

Svetlick Flores, the local enforcement system agency’s chief executive officer, said that proceedings will continue before the courts and the commissioners for justice which is where the agency is making its legal arguments.

He stated that since there are ongoing court proceedings on such cases, it is not prudent to comment further at this stage. However, LESA will be making its arguments in court. ‘The final judgements will then determine whether any action must be taken’ he stated.

According to a magistrate ruled last week, no local council, regional committee or agency for local enforcement has the power to enforce or commence proceedings against anyone who breached COVID quarantine rules.

Despite quarantine regulations falling within the competence of the commissioners for justice, they were not, noted the magistrate, listed among offences community officers could enforce.

Deciding on separate appeals filed by a man and a woman who were fined, the magistrate said that ‘given that such power is not expressly provided for in the law… then, the Local Enforcement System Agency cannot bring forward proceedings and prosecute persons for a breach of the regulations in question.’

The man and woman were fined €10,000 and €3,000 respectively, with LESA being among the agencies to issue fines. The others were police, Malta Tourism Authority and Transport Authority.

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