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4 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 3 APRIL 2019 YANNICK PACE THE Nationalist Party has in- sisted that the government ex- plain what has led to the gov- ernment registering a Error! Hyperlink reference not valid., rather than the surplus it was projecting. In a statement on Tuesday, the PN pointed to the govern- ment's financial estimates for 2019, published last October, in which it is stated that the gov- ernment's consolidated fund would end with a positive bal- ance of €16.6 million. "According to the same docu- ment," the PN said, "govern- ment was budgeting to collect- ed €1,682 million from income tax. Actual income tax receipts in 2018 amounted to €1,573 million, a shortfall of €109 mil- lion or 6.5%." It added that grants, which include reimbursements from the European Union "were also overstated" in the budget by roughly €54 million. "Government should explain what led to the shortfall in these incomes steams in such a short period of time," the PN said., adding that it had every right, and a duty even, to ask what led to the "reversal in for- tunes". Last week, the Finance Minis- try pushed back against claims by the PN, which said govern- ment had "bloated the daily cost of dunning government", insisting that such costs were being financed by one-off reve- nue streams, which it said were now running dry. "The lack of a proper read- ing of basic national financial statistics by the Opposition is once again very telling," Fi- nance Minister Edward Sciclu- na said on Saturday. However, the PN said that to date, Scicluna had given three different explanations. "In his first reaction, he blamed the public service col- lective agreement, in the sec- ond instance he blamed the capital projects and in this lat- est round, he is blaming the re- versal of fortunes on cash flow management," read the state- ment. "The Opposition is fully aware that the final position on the country's surplus or deficit can differ once certain adjustments are made, particularly with re- gards to monies due from the European Union for capital projects part-financed through various programmes. But gov- ernment should have factored in this discrepancy when pre- senting its projections in Octo- ber." Government, it said, should have known what monies would be received by the end of the year, "yet presented to par- liament a situation that was off the mark by €80 million". Turning to the sustainabil- ity of government finances, the PN said it wanted to reaffirm its view, which it said was also shared by the European Com- mission, that "government is financing its burgeoning recur- rent expenditure with one-off revenue streams and income streams that in the short-to- medium term could dry up of suffer from cuts". Funds from Malta's cash-for- passports scheme, EU funds and tax funds, were all included in this category of "funds-at- risk", the PN said. Finally, with reference to Er- ror! Hyperlink reference not valid. regarding to a leaked in- terim report from a Moneyval evaluation, the PN said that the likelihood was that the final report would not differ much from the draft report. "This means that our country will, come July, be facing the prospect of being blacklisted," the PN said. "Government, rather than owning up for its shortcomings that led to this sorry state of affairs, is already implementing its favourite strategy of shifting the blame onto the Opposition. For the record, the Opposition has im- mediately denied having seen the draft report or leaking it to the press. The report was only made available to to govern- ment." PN hits back at finance minister on government deficit PN finance spokesperson Mario De Marco The court has issued a protection order in favour of activist and blogger Manuel Delia (above) and his wife Clemence Dujardin A court has imposed protection orders in favour of activist Manuel Delia and his wife Clemence Dujardin after the latter was assaulted in Valletta. The incident happened in Republic Street last December. Paul Cassar, 59, and Helen Cutajar, 58 appeared before Magistrate Joe Mifsud this morning on charges of threatening and insulting Dujardin on 13 December at 2.45pm. Cassar alone was also accused of as- sault and criminal damage, having smashed Dujardin's mobile phone for filming the attack. Delia had blogged about the assault, explaining how his wife had been out Christmas shopping in Valletta when she stopped to have a chat with some activists in front of the makeshift me- morial to murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. At a point, she heard a small group of people shouting and swearing at activ- ists who were laying flowers and can- dles at the foot of the memorial and tried to film what was going on. Du- jardin had her phone knocked out of her hands and received a punch from Cassar. In court today, Magistrate Mifsud repeated more than once that people have a right to express themselves without getting hurt. The accused appeared unperturbed as they stood in the dock, even as they were warned that the charges carried a maximum punishment of five months' imprisonment. Cassar and Cutajar pleaded guilty to the charges. The magistrate ordered the parties to settle the damages before proceeding to judgment. Cutajar was admonished and repri- manded, while Cassar was handed a conditional discharge. Both accused were made to submit to protection or- ders in favour of Dujardin and Delia. "You should never have gotten to this stage," remarked the magistrate to the guilty pair. "They have a right to ex- press themselves as do you. That is the beauty of our country - that we don't agree but we get along." The magistrate asked the parties to shake hands, but was told by lawyer Andrew Borg Cardona, appearing par- te civile for the injured party, that it was too soon for this. At this stage, it would be "better to exchange greetings and stop there to- day," he said. Inspector Priscilla Caruana Lee pros- ecuted. Lawyer Dustin Camilleri was defence counsel. Two admit to assaulting activist in Republic Street

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