Italian anti-mafia NGO Libera contro le mafie is naming its Ragusa headquarters for Daphne Caruana Galizia. In a statement the Sicilian offices of Libera announced the naming ceremony due tomorrow that will be addressed by the founder of Libera Don Luigi Ciotti. The ceremony is also being attended by Daphne’s sister Corinne Vella. Libera promoted [...]
The Court today heard the first arguments in the case brought by Repubblika against the government arguing that appointing judges chosen by the Prime Minister is unconstitutional, a breach of fundamental rights and in breach of EU law. Repubblika was represented by lawyers Jason Azzopardi and Simon Busuttil who informed the Court they intended to [...]
From my The Sunday Times article of today: "Policies are designed around the needs of those who pay for them. Political parties with a likelier opportunity of implementing those policies attract the funds that will guarantee their re-election, starving any alternative of resources. "We can see the consequences all around us. Political parties that promote [...]
If the Nationalist Party needs to speak about “clans of low-quality foreigners frightening children and making society poorer” in order to bring out the vote, let’s face it, all it is left hoping for is not losing too many votes to the racialist bigoted fascists. It’s a tactical temptation to manage a pincer movement on [...]
Joseph Muscat and Owen Bonnici do not acknowledge the existence of Repubblika, though they will have to respond to its challenge in Court on Monday. They prefer instead to refer to the organisation’s lawyers — Jason Azzopardi and Simon Busuttil — when they respond to the accusation they are breaking their own promises of implementing [...]
(Reuters. Published by La Repubblica) A small part of the extensive legacy left by Daphne Caruana Galizia's exemplary but unbearably painful experience, in life as much as in the way it ended, is worldwide awareness of the fate of journalists of her calibre, motivation and dogged determination in Europe and what must and [...]
Press Release by Repubblika: Repubblika is grateful for the decision of the First Hall of the Civil Court to accept the application we filed this morning asking for an urgent hearing of our application to stop the government appointing more Judges and Magistrates before the reforms expected by the Venice Commission are introduced. In fact [...]
Judge Mark Chetcuti has set Monday morning as the earliest date when he can hear Repubblika's plea to halt judicial appointment until after the Venice Commission recommendations are implemented. The Court ordered the government is advised of this immediately. Yet, by all accounts the President of Malta George Vella will be swearing in new judges [...]
Look at the President's diary for today. As at 12:10 today it says nothing about the swearing in of new judges and magistrates. It was not meant to happen today but the Government did not want to have to argue in Court on why it was ignoring the Venice Commission that said the way our [...]
The appointment of new judges ought to be a day of celebration for a functioning democracy. But our method of choosing judges has been outed by the foremost world experts on how democracies should work as indicative of a failed democracy. The government has accepted this and promised to change the system. It has taken [...]
Repubblika Statement: Repubblika this morning filed an application in the First Hall of the Civil Court asking it to order the government not to appoint new Judges and Magistrates until a new system of choosing judges that ensures the independence of the judiciary is introduced. In public statements, the Government has already recognised the finding [...]
A photo is making the rounds on social media of the voting document belonging to Luciano Moggi, formerly chief managing director of Juventus Football Club. The voting document shows Luciano Moggi is eligible to vote in Gżira, Malta. A check in the electoral register confirms he is a Malta resident. Luciano Moggi's Wikipedia biography says [...]
Malta Today’s editorial of today is absolutely correct. There is no comprehensible basis for the courts to overrule the public interest in knowing that a man living in Malta has been charged in another country of being an ‘Ndranghestista, laundering money for organised crime right here in our midst. Malta Today explains that the ban [...]
The man cannot help it, can he? On the Air Malta in-flight magazine he said he remembers Air Malta’s first ever flights. Air Malta took off in 1974 but the advent of Konrad Mizzi, first of his name, conqueror of Panama, appeaser of kiwis, apostle of the Chinese, purveyor of wine and wassail, incarnate smiley [...]
The Constitutional Court today opened for business in spite of the Easter holidays to hear an ‘urgent’ plea by Konrad Mizzi filed 15 minutes before the court registry closed last week for the term break. Konrad Mizzi does that. Fifteen minutes before the last Christmas break he filed another of his grand claims to protect [...]
Repubblika and Simon Busuttil filed a note in Court this morning with Magistrate Doreen Clarke whom they had asked to open an inquiry into the Panama Papers. The note followed Konrad Mizzi’s request to the Magistrate not to open the inquiry as he was filing a Constitutional Court case saying the law that allowed Repubblika [...]
How effective is Malta's constitution? How has it developed? What are its weaknesses? Which of these are now urgent concerns? Ought we to speak of 'constitutional reform' or 'constitutional development'? What are the next steps? These topical questions have been circulating ever more urgently during the past few years. They are the subject of a [...]
Do you know someone who will decide who to vote for on the basis of whether they get a figolla from them or not? If you do, tell them they deserve the Councillor that treats them to the dubious bait. Certainly Mr Dominic Grima does not think his needy voters will get many figolli to [...]
Update 22/04/2019 13:42 Adds Malta Football Association Statement Forty-two year old Italian resident of Malta Antonio Ricci was arrested today by the Maltese police on the request of the Italian authorities in a Mafia investigation. Antonio Ricci was named last November by the Reggio Calabria prosecutors along with 18 other people in an organised crime [...]
