Entertainment industry calls on COVID rule removal as election rallies kick off

Feb 28 2022

The Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA) called for the removal of all COVID-19 restrictions on the entertainment industry following the political rallies being organised in lieu of the election in March.

The association questioned why the sector is being continuously discriminated against while political actives are given the go ahead.

On Thursday, Health Minister Chris Fearne revealed that standing events outdoors would be given the green light to operate without restrictions as of 11th April. However, indoor events require vaccine certificates for entry.

The health minister reiterated his appeal for people to be responsible during the press conference, saying that it is not fair that there is a free for all situation. Fearne said that the protocols by the PL are being observed, with people attending asked to register beforehand to be organised into clusters.

However, MEIA president Howard Keith Debono criticised the authorities who continue to apply what he deemed a two-tier system. Whereas political activities are being allowed, the entertainment industry continued to be burdened by restrictions.

Debono told newsroom MaltaToday that the sector is confused and that all restrictions must be removed as the latest announcement by Fearne fails to a address the ongoing discrimination and the urgency to remove all restrictions.

The health authorities had pointed out that the restrictions will be removed as part of a COVID exit roadmap thanks to the low hospitalisation numbers and the high vaccination rate. This comes as political rallies kick off in full force, with a week of events already gone by.

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Franco Debono will not be contesting the general election despite support

Feb 28 2022

Posting to Facebook, Lawyer Franco Debono revealed that he will not be contesting the general election, despite the positive reaction he received at the prospect of him actually running.

Posting to Facebook, Debono said that the declaration by Opposition leader Bernard Grech that he does not exclude his candidature with the Nationalist Party brought a lot of positive reactions. It also showed the considerable support from public and private individuals and entities on national and district levels.

The declaration came as a surprise for Debono, he revealed, and thanked Grech for the statement. ‘It is not my style to rush with declarations and therefore, after several days of reflection, I feel as though I need to exclude the possibility given the current circumstances.’

‘I don’t feel that this is the moment to do this step’ he said. ‘I am making this declaration with total respect towards those persons who, in the past few days, communicated with me to encourage me to contest. I assure you that I heard and read every message and I thank you. I was sincerely surprised by the wave of support.’

He went on to wish the best of luck to Bernard Grech, and said that he does not completely exclude future participation with more activism.

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Photo Source: Partit Nazzjonalista, Franco Debono

Ghasri mayor resigns from PN just after a photo with Prime Minister

Feb 28 2022

Daniel Attard, who is the mayor of Ghasri, resigned from the Nationalist Party just a day after he posts a photo of himself shaking hands with Prime Minister Robert Abela.

Posting to Facebook, Attard uploaded a photo of a letter he sent to the PN Secretary General Michael Piccinino. ‘I will remain accessible and loyal to all the people of Ghasri who elected me and who I love, as I have been for the past nine years as Mayor for the locality’ he said.

The resignation raised several questions, with some even asking whether he will be switching sides to the Labour Party.

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Photo Source: Daniel Attard FB

€45,000 pocketed by Abela on promise-of-sale property deal

Feb 28 2022

Prime Minister Robert Abela pocketed €45,000 on a property deal with a car dealership owner which is currently being investigated by police.

The timeline of the events raises suspicions over why he entered a contract to buy a green field, only to later transfer his stake in that contract to an auto-dealer and alleged kidnapper Christian Borg just months later.

According to a news report by Times of Malta, Abela and his wife Lydia entered a deal in June of 2018 to buy a nondescript plot of land in Żabbar. On the same day, Borg received Planning Authority permission to build nine apartments and garages on that plot of land despite having no apparent connection to the property.

Borg is at the heart of an organised crime investigation, with Abela selling their stake in the property deal to Borg and making €45,000 profit. Abela was providing legal advice to both the PA and Borg at the time.

Times of Malta revealed details of the Żabbar property deal earlier this month and have been flagged as suspicious by tax evasion experts who specialise in property market loopholes. Borg had applied for a development permit on the 210 square meter plot of land in 2017, just one year before he had any visible stake in the same property.

The property was at the time the subject of a promise of sale agreement between its original owner and Malta as Distributors Ltd, which is co-owned by Bonnici Brothers and gas distributor Simon Buhagiar.

The company has also in the past been represented by Abela’s legal practice but the Abela’s only entered the picture in June of 2018, with the promise of sale partially transferred to them the same day that Borg’s development application was formally approved by the Planning Authority.

Abela went on to transfer the purchasing rights on the deal to Princess Construction Limited, which is Borg’s company. The green plot known as Ta’ Cianciorina, was ultimately sold to Borg for €315,000 on November 29th, 2018. It was revealed by the TOM report that notarial paperwork submitted along with the final contract of sale includes a signed declaration that the property was not derived from criminal activity or money laundering. The declaration stamped, it was signed by notary Mark Zaffarese along the parties involved. On his part, Abela argued that it was the notary’s job to ensure the funds used by Borg were clean, and not his.

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