From my article in The Sunday Times today: "We tell the world it is our right to have a lower tax base ostensibly because we are more efficient than the lumbering French, Italian or even Scandinavian economies. But of course we are lying to them and ourselves. At 35 per cent, our corporate tax rate [...]
The Prime Minister’s children were taken out of school for several days to join their parents who visited Abu Dhabi for the Special Olympics. That is against the law and is subject to applicable fines. Anyone else taking their children out of school for a trip abroad would be facing consequences and the Education Division [...]
After the Robert Mueller inquiry “did not establish” there had been no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, the man who started the entire inquiry process, Trump campaign advisor George Papadopoulos is making the rounds in the press asking for a Presidential pardon. He had admitted to lying to the FBI and sentenced to [...]
You can’t fail to be reminded of the aftermath of the Egrant inquiry report when you see what’s going on in the US after the completion of the Mueller report that “did not establish” there had been collusion between the Trump Presidential campaign and Russia. In the US case the 300 page report that included [...]
As you would expect there’s a lot of venom and hatred being spewed around about the “pirates” and “hijackers” who were led to our shores this morning and in the case of some of them arrested. Neither the racist bigots nor I, were on the boat over the last 30 hours so the facts have [...]
They think they can ignore them forever but there will be a point when this will come to a head. The European Parliament passed another resolution today demanding an independent international public inquiry into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia and the stories she investigated. They demanded members of Government withdraw libel suits against her, [...]
Photo: Chris Sant Fournier for Times of Malta. Graffiti’s action outside the Planning Authority offices today is entirely justified. It also comes in the style of veteran activists who are wise enough to eat an elephant one bite at a time. They are focusing on petrol stations and the fact that year after [...]
Social and political activism has a longstanding history, the Luddites smashing up machinery in the 19th century being a famous example. Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat to a white man is another landmark case of a grassroots action leading to wider change. In Malta, activism has become an integral part of the [...]
David Casa has written to the UAE Ambassador in Brussels asking his government to cooperate more on the 17 Black bank account allegedly used to pay Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi bribes from Yorgen Fenech of Tumas Group and the Electrogas consortium. In his Egrant inquiry report, Magistrate Aaron Bugeja lamented he got no response [...]
There’s one thing I still fail to understand here with all the talk of magisterial inquiries. Where in the world do the suspects define when and to what extent they are going to be investigated? Look at this video of a One TV journalist challenging Adrian Delia to call for a magisterial inquiry into the [...]
No one is to blame for what happened when an Islamophobic, white-supremacist, murdering terrorist scribbled ‘Malta 1565’ on his murder weapon along with other historical citations as a sort of totem to inspire his vicious crime. No one, I mean, except of course himself and those who supported him. But we should be a little [...]
Statement by Reżistenza Malta: A few days before the 40th anniversary of when Malta freed itself from the last traces of colonial power, we’re dismayed that the country’s reputation went to the dogs. Malta’s name has become associated with lack of transparency and rule of law. Maltese who attend meetings in international fora know this [...]
The Italian chapter of Amnesty International this morning handed over a petition signed by 45,000 people demanding the Maltese authorities do everything possible to identify and punish the masterminds and the executors of the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. But the petitioners also joined calls for an inquiry to determine whether Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination [...]
US Financial Crime blogger Kenneth Rijock asked in a post yesterday whether the licencing of Ali Sadr Hasheminejad to open a European bank in Malta "was facilitated through the artful payment of bribes?" That's because US law enforcement agencies were aware of Ali Sadr's activities on behalf of Iran as early as 2011 and in [...]
No doubt you saw this video making the rounds. See if you can beat this quip I got from someone who sent me the video earlier: "That's your typical Maltese developer defecating on the law"
One more report that reminds Edward Scicluna that the Panama scandal and the shame brought on to our country by a government that protects politicians exposed by it, is not yet "history". It is still news. Remarkably this DW report actually remembers the now famed Edward Scicluna quote. It's one of those lines that is [...]
Adrian Delia and his team, that as far as can be ascertained is now chaired by Pierre Portelli assisted by Pierre Portelli and includes Pierre Portelli, Pierre Portelli and Pierre Portelli with Pierre Portelli as secretary — a bit like that zany scene from Being John Malkovich — are managing the current umpteenth crisis as [...]
Adrian Delia’s explanations about his involvement in laundering proceeds from a Soho prostitution ring have evolved with time. Beneath the blanket categorical denial that he actually committed any wrongdoing, explaining away the details that have emerged has evolved as we became more aware of them. At first his answer to Daphne Caruana Galizia, who broke [...]
There is nothing in Owen Bonnici’s statement of yesterday that suggests the government is doing anything but consolidating its grip on power. It will rely on a compliant opposition to do so because many of the changes proposed, or rather the vague hints that were dropped at yesterday’s press conference, will require a two-thirds majority [...]
Image from disruptive telephony.com It’s a good thing our court administration is not handling the next lunar landing. Let’s just accept things at face value for a minute. Witnesses who wanted to testify that Neville Gafa’ solicited and accepted bribes for medical visas trudged through war-torn Libya at personal risk to a court-room [...]