Malta nominated Andreina Fenech Farrugia to chair the international body for conservation of tuna

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2019-02-12T12:55:11+01:00Tue, 12th Feb '19, 12:55|

Now disgraced Andreina Fenech Farrugia, who until her suspension this morning was Director-General for Fisheries, was nominated in 2017 by the government to chair the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). The Commission, based in Madrid, Spain, is set up by international treaty to promote limits on over-fishing for tuna and tuna-like [...]

UPDATED: Trust me, he pleads.

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2019-02-13T11:09:45+01:00Tue, 12th Feb '19, 12:20|

13 February, 2019. 11:08. Adds video of David Casa's intervention. Watching Owen Bonnici and then Matthew Caruana Galizia field questions at the special tax evasion committee of the European Parliament yesterday was a spectacle in contrasts. I don’t think Owen Bonnici has much hope in reading a favourable review. But boy, that guy is really [...]

No, wait. So we fire people on the back of allegations now?

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2019-02-12T12:30:54+01:00Tue, 12th Feb '19, 10:33|

In record time the government acted on allegations of corruption this morning. A story published on a Spanish newspaper at 5 am this morning said Andreina Fenech Farrugia, until then Director General of the Fisheries Department, solicited bribes to allow “fish laundering”. That’s allowing a tuna company (the one we know of) to fatten more [...]

Spanish Police intercepted calls of Maltese Fisheries Director soliciting bribes — Spanish news website

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2019-02-12T09:40:52+01:00Tue, 12th Feb '19, 09:40|

Spanish online news-site El Confidencial reported today that the Benemerita (the Spanish civil police) have intercepted phone conversations that “reveal that Malta’s Fisheries boss collaborated with a criminal network that illegally fished and commercialised tuna”. The report is based on a conversation on 20 June 2018 where the Director General of the Department of Fisheries [...]

GUEST POST: Corruption under the carpet (2)

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2019-02-12T12:29:49+01:00Tue, 12th Feb '19, 09:09|

The first part of Annika Palome’s review of the aftermath of the Panama Papers was posted yesterday. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat aspires for Malta to be known as a modern hub of financial services, cryptocurrencies and “the fastest growing economy in Europe”. However, Panama Papers revelations about his Chief of Staff and a government Minister [...]

US government says Washington “may limit ties with nations partnering with Huawei”

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2019-02-12T08:51:07+01:00Tue, 12th Feb '19, 08:51|

It’s going to become every harder for our own government to remain silent over an increasingly hard line taken by Western countries against the penetration of Huawei technology in Europe. Malta is committed to a close partnership with Huawei and 5G technology here is being rolled out exclusively using Huawei technology. There are signs that [...]

Owen Bonnici to answer questions in the EP on Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi’s money laundering

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2019-02-11T17:23:00+01:00Mon, 11th Feb '19, 16:27|

The European Parliament's Special Committee on Financial Crimes, Tax Evasion and Tax Avoidance is holding a special session on Malta this afternoon. It will follow up on correspondence with the government about Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri discovered setting up money laundering vehicles in Panama and New Zealand and our institutions doing nothing about it. Justice [...]

Domestic violence: the raw deal

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2019-02-11T11:22:21+01:00Mon, 11th Feb '19, 11:22|

Magistrate Joe Mifsud’s decision to acquit Anton Refalo of the charge of domestic violence after the police arraigned him for beating his 16-year-old son has some implications that need further discussion. Here’s one. Anton Refalo was not acquitted because the court felt he was justified in beating his son. Certainly, many people found the circumstances [...]

Selective amnesia

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2019-02-11T10:03:16+01:00Mon, 11th Feb '19, 10:03|

Raphael Vassallo consumed columns of yesterday’s Malta Today starting out by saying he would reply point by point to my ’13 reasons why’ free speech in Malta is threatened. As far as I can figure out he gives up at point 4. But that’s fine. You distil his argument and it’s quite simple. You’ve heard [...]

GUEST POST: Corruption under the carpet

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2019-02-11T09:04:05+01:00Mon, 11th Feb '19, 09:04|

This is the first of two parts of Annika Palome's review of the aftermath of the Panama Papers. Part 2 will be posted tomorrow. The Court of Appeals has blocked a magisterial inquiry into possible money laundering allegedly committed by members of Joseph Muscat’s Cabinet and exposed by the Panama Papers. The inquiry was requested [...]

Repubblika asks EC to act as Malta fails to implement EU anti-money laundering law when facing corrupt politicians

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2019-02-11T09:31:58+01:00Sun, 10th Feb '19, 11:35|

Repubblika has submitted formally to the European Commission a complaint on the breach of European laws by the Maltese authorities that are not enforcing anti-money laundering laws in respect of persons in power. The legal basis in EU law for Repubblika’s complaint is the following:  Breach of the provisions of Directive 2005/60/EC (AML3) as succeeded [...]

Anton Refalo acquitted of domestic violence charge after son and wife refused to testify

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2019-02-08T17:54:32+01:00Fri, 8th Feb '19, 17:11|

Labour MP and former Minister Anton Refalo has been acquitted by Magistrate Joe Mifsud from the charge of domestic violence after his son, whom he was accused to have beaten, refused to testify against his father. There were no other eye-witnesses to the incident except Anton Refalo's wife who also refused to testify. The Magistrate [...]

Gimme hope Jo’anna

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2019-02-08T15:33:32+01:00Fri, 8th Feb '19, 15:33|

One TV asked the Great Leader for his top 10 desert island discs. You'd be tempted to groan 'who cares?' But this is Malta and nobody laughs at jokes about fawning Radio Moscow staff chasing Joseph's favourite recording of Tchaikovsky's sixth. Joseph Stalin that is. Our own Joseph's top 10 list includes 'Gimme Hope Jo'Anna' [...]

In the artist’s head

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2019-02-08T12:45:25+01:00Fri, 8th Feb '19, 12:45|

I do not presume to teach Patrick Dalli what makes good art. I don’t presume to teach that to anyone, frankly. I know what I like but it doesn’t mean I know why it’s good. I know what I can afford to spend which I accept has nothing to do with value. Times of Malta [...]

STAR COMMENT: They can’t even bear the question

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2019-02-08T08:55:30+01:00Fri, 8th Feb '19, 08:55|

ML AERIS sent this under the post about the daily grind of replacing protest symbols at the Great Siege Memorial because they're removed by State-employed, State-sponsored or State-mobilised thugs. Yesterday that State's lawyers argued I have no legal standing to argue this is a breach of the right of freedom of expression because I didn't [...]

Raphael’s anal discharge

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2019-02-07T14:04:23+01:00Thu, 7th Feb '19, 14:04|

Raphael Vassallo headlined his weekly column with this title: “‘Freedom of expression’ also means the freedom to talk out of your ass”. Never has a more appropriate heading been chosen for the article that would follow it. His main thrust is freedom of expression in Malta is a-ok and the moaners that complain it isn’t [...]

Guilty as fuck

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2019-02-07T05:43:11+01:00Thu, 7th Feb '19, 02:51|

The Department of Information last night issued what must be, in the annals of its hallowed history, the most despicably iron-curtain piece of Newspeak ever to have been officially published by a government not bearing a hammer and a sickle on its badges. It took plenty of time to reach its point. There’s that classic [...]

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