We did have similar types of repressions during the Mintoff and Mifsud Bonnici dictatorial eras. We all thought that those days were past in Malta. Even with the disgusting economic crimes and mafia-like administration of today going as far as to try to eliminate the voice of civil society is a step too far. After [...]

Vince Muscat this morning told an open court that Chris Cardona and another minister currently in office helped him and other accomplices of his gang in a major crime they were involved in. The police were unlikely surprised to hear Vince Muscat say this today. A Times of Malta report last November had already indicated [...]

The police must tell us if Chris Cardona is the subject of a criminal investigation into a separate plot to kill Daphne Caruana Galizia. In court we heard Vincent Muscat give detailed evidence in reply to questions put to him by the Caruana Galizia family lawyer Jason Azzopardi, and in several points corroborated by other [...]

The American Embassy in Malta announced their nominee for the US State Department’s award for the person with outstanding achievements in the fight against corruption. Some people that could have been on their short list are: Peter Grech, Ian Abdilla, Kenneth Farrugia, Silvio Valletta, Owen Bonnici, Edward Zammit Lewis, Aaron Bugeja, Anġlu Farrugia, Mario Cutajar, [...]

Edward Zammit Lewis mocked objections to the changes he is proposing to the law that is supposed to provide clarification to the Constitution but will instead turn the Constitution on its head. First, some background. The issue here is about fines imposed by administrative authorities which in respect of money laundering can be hefty. So [...]

If this is what they mean by chilling effect, this morning I’m feeling the shudder. In 2019, Yorgen Fenech was known as the owner of 17 Black and therefore the man behind one of the Dubai companies that Brian Tonna’s Nexia BT told Panama’s Mossack Fonseca would be paying $5,000 a day to Hearnville and [...]

From my article in The Sunday Times: "I have written about David Gatt, about Chris Cardona, about Keith Schembri. They can’t have liked what I wrote about them and they’re roaming free without a realistic prospect of that condition changing. Is someone 10 metres away from me, watching me as I write this by my home [...]

Earlier today I spoke at a seminar organised jointly between Repubblika and the Ragusa chapter of Italian anti-mafia NGO Libera. This was my intervention. Malta has always had to be creative about finding ways of making money. The most remarkable thing about it is that it is small. And crowded. Primary resources are inexistent and manufacturing [...]

Filed by someone I know. Having served as a senior public officer in political office both under the Fenech Adami and the Gonzi administrations, the current situation in the country makes me even more frustrated than many. What we are witnessing across the board is the way the culture of ‘u ejja’ has permeated every [...]

Anthony Abela Medici, commissioner for voluntary organisations, is moving to ban Repubblika. One of the trumped up charges he came up with is that Repubblika is essentially a front for a political party. One presumes he has the Nationalist Party in mind. Except for inveterate watchers of One TV and exclusive admirers of KullĦadd's cartoonist [...]

Do you remember the BWSC “scandal”? Do you remember accusations of corruption? I worked at the Ministry responsible for Enemalta at the time. I headed Austin Gatt’s personal staff. I was at meetings with Enemalta officials when the decision to purchase a new plant was taken. And then, as always happened at the time, the [...]

From a piece in today's Times I co-wrote with Alessandra Dee Crespo and Vicki Ann Cremona "You’ll be pleased to know then that we shall continue writing our articles and we shall continue levelling criticism where it needs to be addressed. We shall also continue offering our suggestions to make Malta a better place to [...]

For some time now we have tried to reconstruct in our minds and in our writings the killing of Daphne Caruana Galizia. We heard Matthew’s testimony. We heard evidence from eye witnesses on the scene. We heard the reconstructions of the forensic experts. And now, today, we heard one of the killers. We heard him [...]

I can't imagine this gives pleasure to anyone but with the exception of the ever-loyal trolls, no one has any confidence left that the government's instructions and actions are of any use in fighting the covid pandemic. This is a catastrophic state of affairs. Consider how the president of the doctor's union is telling people [...]

Pro-democracy NGO Repubblika gave ambassadors and heads of mission accredited to Malta today copies of the charges it received from the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations and its reply. In a memorandum to embassies, Repubblika's President Robert Aquilina said the NGO "we vehemently deny all these charges even as we underline the fact that we have [...]

Photo: https://manueldelia.com/2020/06/government-considering-allowing-captain-morgan-prisoners-on-land-by-21-june/ A Home Ministry spokesperson confirmed to this website today that the government has abandoned plans to hire a ship on which to detain migrants rescued in Malta’s search and rescue area outside territorial waters instead of bringing rescued people ashore. Plans for an off-shore prison-ship were firmed up last July when [...]

Doctors said in a statement today they are gravely concerned about the current situation our health system is in. "The massive spike in the number of new infections has, as expected, translated into a surge in the number of patients requiring intensive care. Over the past 24 hours, the fifth intensive care unit has been [...]

These people write their own comedy skits.

The Council of Europe’s Committee to Prevent Torture received allegations of deliberate physical ill-treatment by police officers and or detention facility staff of apprehended or detained migrants. The Committee also received allegations concerning excessive use of force by Detention Service staff and private security staff at Lyster Barracks. At least three migrants alleged that the [...]