Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1187474
MATTHEW VELLA ONE year after the passing of Yorgen Fenech's grandfather, the industrialist Tumas Fenech, a foundation was set up in his name to further education in journalism. Since then, the Tumas Fenech Foundation for Education in Journalism has hosted Malta's great and good in the world of journalism and academia. But news that the Tumas Group scion and now former chief executive officer could be a person of interest in the murder investigation of Daph- ne Caruana Galizia, should be enough to shake the Founda- tion's foundations. Yet Malcolm Naudi, the for- mer Times journalist who serves as the FTFEG's honorary secretary, is quick to insist on the independence of the foun- dation from the Tumas Group. "Although set up by the Tu- mas Group, in conjunction with The Malta Press Club (today the Institute of Maltese Journalists), the Tumas Fenech Foundation for Education in Journalism is fully independent, has a separate legal personality, and is not run by the Tumas Group," Naudi, who once was the Press Club's president, said. The Tumas Group has sup- ported the Foundation mainly by providing the venues for its meetings and activities and also by hosting foreign speakers in- vited to participate in activities organised by the Foundation. The limit for the provision of these services is fixed at the amount of €15,000 per year. Naudi is quick to say that Yor- gen Fenech has never been a member of the FTFEG board or interfered in its running. "Given the complete inde- pendence of the Foundation from the Tumas Group, there are no implications consequent on the arrest of a (former) Tu- mas director," Naudi said when asked about the effects of Fene- ch's arrest on the foundation's name. Tumas Fenech's beginnings were indeed humble. A former police constable who even worked as a bus tick- et despatcher, Tumas Fenech showed a knack for buying second-hand items and resell- ing them. But it was with his first prop- erty acquisitions and later ho- tels that Tumas Fenech made his fortune. "The Tumas Fenech Foun- dation for Education in Jour- nalism believes that the name 'Tumas' is an honourable name and that carrying it does not mean that it is dishonoured by association," Naudi said. "Dissolution is not contem- plated since the aims for which the Foundation was set up are still valid." In an irony of fate, Daphne Caruana Galizia's one posthu- mous award in her native coun- try was the Institute of Malta Journalism's Gold Award, which is historically sponsored by the Tumas Fenech Founda- tion for Education in Journal- ism. The riches Tumas Fenech built for his sons and their chil- dren – a world of private jet travel, French horse-breeding and racing, and the island's best homes – today appear to sym- bolise the excess of entitlement of Malta's capitalist class. The creation of the journalism foundation itself was uncon- nected to Tumas Fenech's own pursuits, as told by President emeritus Ugo Mifsud Bonnici in a TV documentary: "His chil- dren wanted to commemorate his name through a foundation that served the country a useful purpose, in a field that was dif- ferent from his own." The origins of the 17 Black firm in Dubai are unknown, but Daphne Caruana Galizia knew back in February 2017 that the company was owned by Yorgen Fenech – she posted that small detail in a comment beneath the cryptic post she uploaded on her blog with the photos of Keith Schembri, Konrad Mizzi, Joseph Muscat, and John Dalli. It was only after her assas- sination, and the creation of the Daphne Project which sifted through a leaked cache of emails from Electrogas, in which the Tumas Group had a stake, that it was finally re- vealed that a 17 Black had been listed as a "target client" of two well-known offshore firms cre- ated in Panama, Hearnville and Tillgate, owned by former ener- gy minister Konrad Mizzi and the PM's chief-of-staff Keith Schembri. 4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 NOVEMBER 2019 NEWS The Malta Crafts Foundation invites all interested craftspersons who wish to exhibit and/or sell their products on the Malta Pavilion during the upcoming Expo 2020 in Dubai, which is going to be held between the 20th of October, 2020 and the 10th of April, 2021, to register their interest. Those wishing to sell their products must ensure that they are able to supply enough stock for the whole duration of Expo 2020 Dubai. All artisanal items should be directly related to the theme statement of the Malta Pavilion: Connecting Cultures – Generating Opportunities; and all should be a true representation of the Maltese islands, showcasing cultural significance with ethical and sustainable production processes. All items must be made in Malta and show the design capabilities and quality workmanship of Maltese craftspeople. Interested parties should send an email to craftsfoundation@mip.com.mt by not later than noon of Monday, 16th December, 2019. Submissions should include the following details: Name of SME/Sole Trader, Contact Person, Email address, Telephone number, together with a detailed description of the product/s being proposed including the composition of the product/s and photos. It is important to indicate whether the products submitted will be for sale or for exhibition only. Food and beverage items will not be considered. Selection criteria will be sent to all those confirming their interest through this call; however, the final selection of the products is at the discretion of the Malta Crafts Foundation. Further information will be provided by means of an information session which is planned for January 2020. Call for Expression of Interest Craftspersons - Expo 2020 Dubai Tumas foundation now deals with tarnished name Journalism foundation that remembers Tumas Group founder unfazed by arrest of scion in connection with Caruana Galizia murder