Article 19, English PEN, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, International Press Institute, PEN International and Reporters without Borders released today a review of press freedom and free speech in Malta. When Malta was last reviewed for these issues before 2013 there had been no adverse comments. But the report finds that "since [...]
The following is a statement by Matthew, Andrew and Paul Caruana Galizia: Today's decision of the court in Athens to reject Malta’s request for Maria Efimova’s extradition and to release her from custody is welcome news. But it is an indictment of Malta’s collapsing rule of law and its government's drive to persecute rather than [...]
It would be naïve in the extreme to think that Maria Efimova’s tormentors will give up now. Today’s decision in Greece slows them down but she’s nowhere near out of the woods. Think about it. The brutal elimination of Daphne Caruana Galizia did not stop her sons’ torment, or her husband’s. No opportunity is lost [...]
The courts of an EU member states have judged Malta an unsafe place for a whistle-blower and a witness to corruption at the highest levels of government. The courts of that EU member state are right. It is a relief to see Maria Efimova sheltered from the clutches of Joseph Muscat and his henchmen. Lawrence [...]
12.04.2018 19:07 Adds details of vigil in Washington DC Apart from the vigil held in Valletta on Monday 16th April in the evening, here is information about vigils being held in other European cities. 1. UK Location: Malta High Commission Address: Malta House, 36-38 Piccadilly, W1J 0DP London, United Kingdom Time: 1pm - 2pm In collaboration [...]
Owen Bonnici’s argument about the obligation to enforce EU judgements as a reason not to have anti-SLAPP rules in our law does not hold water. If it did it has become pointless to even bother to legislate at all. Take his initiative of introducing a ‘single-publication rule’ in our libel laws for example. It’s been [...]
Swiss on line publication Republik is serialising a long feature on Malta after Daphne Caruana Galizia's assassination six months ago. It's in German, but Google Translate works beautifully. Sylke Gruhnwald and Tim Roehn spent long stretches of time in Malta on multiple trips. They also worked with the guys at The Shift News. Take some [...]
The choice of Joseph Azzopardi as Chief Justice is remarkably uncontroversial. He was a Labour Party candidate once and served on organs of the Labour Party. But he is not perceived by any stretch of the definition as some plant of the government. The Times of Malta: "Described as an uncontroversial character, Dr Azzopardi is [...]
Guest post by Andrew Borg-Cardona. Even if I were a journalist, I hope I would not have attended Minister Owen Bonnici’s press conference on Tuesday, when he sought to justify his failure to show support for the media. He sought to explain why he prefers, apparently, to allow corporate bullies to continue to forum shop in [...]
I barely finish writing about how Joseph Muscat’s staff persistently shame the country in the eyes of the world and in steps Glenn Bedingfield with his foot - nay, both his feet - firmly in it. He gets questions from The Guardian and though he does better than his boss – who has been dodging [...]
Josef Caruana says he wants to be an MEP to compensate for the nasty Nationalists who make Malta look bad in the world. Let’s just look at Josef Caruana’s own record, shall we? And we’ll stick to the highlights. Josef Caruana was the editor of the General Workers’ Union’s l-orizzont. The Malta Independent flattered him [...]
In my March 3rd story on Satabank I wrote that MyPos, a UK company related to some of the ultimate beneficial ownership of SataBank, was "investigated" for use of its equipment by fraudsters. My report should have stated that fraudsters were investigated, not the supplier of the equipment they use. The error in my report occurred after I reported on a similar [...]
The ‘urgent’ awarding of a planning permit for the prime minister to gut his Burmarrad house is not just embarrassing favouritism. I am not an avukat-perit but I can smell rot as much as the next guy. The permit granted to the prime minister is also illegal. Here’s a summary of the facts. Firstly, Planning [...]
We never expected the Labour Party to be our ally in the fight for free speech. We never expected them to protect journalists. We never dared hope they’d protect The Times of Malta, The Malta Independent and Malta Today. We never saw much chance they would defend Lovin’ Malta or The Shift News. In each [...]
Anġlu Farrugia may protect Keith Schembri from answering the question whether Schembri was a wedding guest at the Four Seasons in Florence at Ali Sadr's wedding. But alas he cannot protect Malta from the consequences of the friendship struck between Keith Schembri, Ali Sadr and the rest of the gang of crooks that colonised our [...]
In an interview with 'Investment Migration Insider', a website promoting citizenship-sales schemes, Christian Kaelin responds to criticism of passport sales schemes focusing particularly on Malta and retorting in very much the same vein as Joseph Muscat on similar occasions. Christian Kaelin argues criticism of Henley and Partners is largely the product of "envy of (their) [...]
Correspondence between Christian Kaelin of Henley & Partners and SCL Group shows that Kaelin asked SCL to introduce him to Joseph Muscat in June 2011. At the time Lawrence Gonzi headed a PN government in Malta and Joseph Muscat had been Leader of the Opposition for three years. The correspondence indicates that SCL – that [...]
Watch this interview that Fr Joe Borg and myself conducted with Pieter Omtzigt on RTK yesterday to discuss the answers he got from ambassadors for 47 European countries in the Council of Europe about the aftermath of the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. The response was at first reported in Malta coated with the padding [...]
By Andrew Borg-Cardona: On Monday 9th April, the House is set to discuss amendments to the law that will take into account those made by Jason Azzopardi that will seek to remove the clear and present danger of SLAPP suits in foreign jurisdictions. The word on the street is that the Government will not support [...]
The permit issued on a weekend to Joseph Muscat, three weeks after applying, raises suspicions that go beyond the grotesque abuse of a public service forced to serve the private interest of the prime minister. See this story first as background. The record speaks for itself. When still Alfred Sant’s poodle, the permit to develop [...]