Jabs at film awards after St Paul procession permits refused

Feb 2 2022

Organisers have revealed that the authorities have so far refused to issue a permit for the procession on the feast of St Paul’s Shipwreck on February 10th.

Taking to Facebook, the Għaqda tal-Pawlini stated that sit-down events planned for February 8th and 9th have been given go-aheads, but the request for the procession has not been accepted at this stage.

Organisers said they are still seeking a meeting with the authorities for a solution which safeguards public health to be reached. This comes after the Band Clubs association said last week that traditional village feasts could once again start being celebrated from April as long as it is done responsibly.

This also comes after a meeting with Prime Minister Robert Abela, Health Minister Chris Fearne and Superintendent for Public Health Charmaine Gauci. In reaction to this refusal of the Valletta procession, Nationalist MP Claudio Grech said that it was clear that somebody did not want the feast to be held, with COVID being used as a ‘comfortable pretext.’

Grech made reference to the Malta Film Awards at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, saying that this closed space was full of people with total lack of observance of mask waring rules and social distancing.

‘But for the health authorities, a reduced procession in the open streets of Valletta was riskier, and the organisers request was therefore denied’ he said. ‘Whoever thought Valletta’s citizens were puppets or fools was surely mistaken’ he added.

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Photo Source: Claudio Grech FB, Johann Grech FB

Man fined €900 for possessing eight ecstasy pills after 12 years

Feb 2 2022

A man who underwent a court case spanning up to 13 years (including this year) has been fined €900 over possession of eight ecstasy pills.

The now 32-year-old was arrested by police with eight pills on the 28th of September 2008 while attending a Floriana party. This means he was 19-years-old at the time.

Police had suspicions there were indications that the man was selling the pills. He had at one point admitted to dealing, but then went on to tell the court he only said so because he was concerned his family would find out they were all for personal use.

Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras seemingly agreed that there was no evidence to prove he was dealing but did find him guilty over possession.

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Malta to officially criminalise femicide announces Prime Minister

Feb 1 2022

Prime Minister Robert Abela has announced that Malta will be specifically criminalising femicide. Issuing a statement today, Abela confirmed that Cabinet has approved legal changes which aim at enhancing the fight against gender-based violence and introducing the concept of feminise in the Criminal Code.

More details are set to be published in the coming days said Abela, stating that he wants Parliament to debate this proposed law as soon as possible. The call to criminalise femicide received a larger spark following the murder of Polish 29-year-old Paulina Dembska in Sliema on the 2nd of January 2022.

The Women’s Rights Foundation and the University of Malta proposed that femicide should be considered an aggravated offence to homicide. The proposal was backed by both the Nationalist Party and Volt as well. The proposal was initially rejected on the grounds that there was no need for specific provision for femicide since murder already carried the highest punishment – life imprisonment.

The Cabinet decision however overrules this stance, with Abela saying that he looks forward for the parliamentary process to start as quickly as possible.

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A majority of Malta’s recent murders are due to domestic violence

Feb 1 2022

The superintendent in charge of the homicide squad revealed that just under half of all murders committed in Malta were due to domestic violence.

Keith Arnaud was interviewed on ONE Breakfast this morning, giving a breakdown of the 17 murders which took place on the island between 2018 and 2021.

Domestic violence was the most common motive under suspicion by far, amounting to 7 out of 17 cases. Four were linked to fights, three remain unclear, two to criminal activity and one to robbery.

Arnaud said that establishing a motive isn’t important in the eyes of the law, but it can still be used to strengthen legal arguments. ‘It is therefore important for police to establish a motive, even to help you find the killer’ he said.

According to recent statistics, 96% of domestic violence cases in Malta fail to result in conviction, with most ending up exhausted due to a number of reasons. This could be because victims forgive abusers, refuse to testify against them or withdraw their initial criminal complain.

Other statistics also show that 136 people ended up at Mater Dei’s emergency department because of domestic abuse between 2019 and 2020.

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Photo Source: One.com.mt FB