MONEY: The resident ghosts

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2018-07-19T08:03:28+02:00Thu, 19th Jul '18, 08:03|

This is my article published in this month's Money magazine.   The resident ghosts Not much information is provided by the government on the sale of citizenship. But in an interview with an industry magazine recently they did say sales are on the increase and now they’re handling an average of 20 applications a week. [...]

Passport hopping

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2018-07-18T11:42:02+02:00Wed, 18th Jul '18, 11:42|

Henley & Partners expansion strategy appears to focus on satellite countries in Russia’s orbit. Its recent entry into Moldova follows quickly on Henley’s expansion of its portfolio to include Kazakhstan. Marco Gantenbein from Henley with Chiril Gaburici Moldovan Economy Minister Selling Moldovan and Kazakh passports may not be the intuitive choice for passport [...]

The muted mandarin

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2018-07-18T09:51:58+02:00Wed, 18th Jul '18, 09:49|

When Labour came to power in 2013, they put the civil service to the guillotine putting all but two of its top managers out to pasture. The top civil servant and almost all ‘permanent’ secretaries were removed in one of the first government initiatives that would demonstrate the utter contempt this government would show to [...]

Edward Scicluna’s candlelight supper

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2018-07-18T09:40:02+02:00Wed, 18th Jul '18, 09:39|

Edward Scicluna is fighting for his political skin. His article in today’s Times of Malta is an attempt at survival by resorting to some classic right-wing Labour rhetoric of ‘my country right or wrong’. It took him some time to say it because of the residual embarrassment that comes with education and the majority of [...]

We don’t need another hero

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2018-07-17T17:14:03+02:00Tue, 17th Jul '18, 17:14|

There has been some discussion on the comments boards of this blog about the nature of fascism and whether the unpleasantness around us fits that description. There are no goose-stepping armies and Poland is not likely to be partitioned soon. That much is certain so you may want to find other names for what is [...]

Saving trees from cardboard posters

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2018-07-17T10:45:30+02:00Tue, 17th Jul '18, 10:45|

Let’s be clear about this. The government’s action to remove protest banners moments after they are put up on the basis of planning or environmental laws it habitually ignores in all other cases is the illegal abuse of basic civil rights. Yesterday an angry and annoyed man was filmed going down Saqqaja Road removing small [...]

MFSP takes out an insurance

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2018-07-17T10:10:12+02:00Tue, 17th Jul '18, 10:10|

MFSP, the investment management company that handled large deposits from Keith Schembri without checking where he got the money from appears to be managing the risk it may be forced to close down. It has already been punished significantly by the anti-money laundering agency, the FIAU, who has imposed fines on MFSP though, interestingly, not [...]

Petra Caruana: Vigil for Truth and Justice

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2018-07-17T09:20:47+02:00Tue, 17th Jul '18, 09:20|

The following is the speech by Petra Caruana delivered at yesterday's vigil in Valletta: Good evening everyone, my name is Petra I was a friend and great admirer of Daphne. Through her courage, integrity, work and stories, Daphne has taught me many lessons. One of my fondest memories of Daphne is sitting in her living [...]

Met someone at a party

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2018-07-16T22:57:28+02:00Mon, 16th Jul '18, 22:57|

Joseph Muscat was at his wife's all white fundraiser a few days ago and had to make conversation. Here's one chat he struck up. Madame goes by the name of Tatyana Malinova. Here are some of her Instagram pictures. Хороший был вечер ? About last night ? Party it’s good but football more important ???? [...]

#occupyjustice: Red Cards

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2018-07-17T07:53:35+02:00Mon, 16th Jul '18, 22:32|

  The following is the statement by #occupyjustice at their action at Castille today: The World Cup of Corruption The football World Cup may be over, but here in Malta the World Cup of Corruption is still ongoing.  We still have three key players who have been shown the red card over and over, yet [...]

Second Pilatus Bank director being indicted in the United States

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2018-07-16T14:24:55+02:00Mon, 16th Jul '18, 14:24|

Mustafa Cetinel, still at present a director of Pilatus Bank, is being indicted in the United States federal courts after an FBI investigation. In April, the Financial Times reported that Mustafa Cetinel had been investigated by the FBI, but no news of an indictment has emerged since. A physical inspection of the records at the [...]

Divvy up

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2018-07-16T12:41:25+02:00Mon, 16th Jul '18, 12:39|

Times of Malta has been carrying a series of stories about public procurement that should, under normal circumstances, be raising serious alarm. The almost universal indifference to wrongdoing is just what allows the government to ignore rules or to turn them round to seem like they are following them while they really frustrate the reason [...]

The Prime Minister’s commute

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2018-07-16T11:57:32+02:00Mon, 16th Jul '18, 11:57|

On his way to work this morning, Joseph Muscat would have driven by these notes left for him by Il-Kenniesa. Just in case they were taken down before his drive, here they are for another view.

U ejja, come on …

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2018-07-16T11:50:16+02:00Mon, 16th Jul '18, 11:50|

Jonathan Ferris lost his job a year and a month ago. You will remember Edward Scicluna, before his famous last known words ‘u ejja come on’, telling the camera he wondered if the FIAU reports into Pilatus Bank ‘were written to be leaked’. Less than a week later Jonathan Ferris and Charles Cronin were told [...]

The planner who makes money from property development

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2018-07-13T09:44:20+02:00Fri, 13th Jul '18, 09:44|

Matthew Pace is one of Keith Schembri’s bankers. He is one of the surviving directors of MFSP and has handled Keith Schembri’s deposits from mysterious sources conveniently neglecting to ask questions on provenance and cleaning them through an amenable Bank of Valletta. Read more on that here. Matthew Pace is squatting and holding up [...]

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