Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1303831
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 28 OCTOBER 2020 NEWS 24 www.gourme oday.recipes Apply Now ...is back Send your details to pzammit@mediatoday.com.mt or call on 99835860 for more information 107 new cases of COVID-19 were registered on Tuesday. Active cases stand at 1,915, after 85 new recov- eries were registered in the last 24 hours. The total number of recoveries stands at 3,715. 2,919 swab tests were carried out in the last 24 hours, with the total number of swabs since the pandemic started at 323,634. Two new deaths were registered on Tuesday, with the total number of deaths now at 55. Two elderly people, aged 70 and 88, died from COVID-19. The first victim, a 70-year-old man, was admit- ted to Mater Dei Hospital on 15 October and tested positive for the virus the same day. The second victim, an 88-year-old woman, died earlier today after testing positive for COVID-19, authorities confirmed. The woman tested pos- itive on 20 October and was admitted to Mater Dei the following day. She remained at Mater Dei for continuous care but passed away earlier today. From yesterday's cases nine were family mem- bers of previously known cases, five were con- tacts with positive work colleagues, five were di- rect contacts with other positive, two cases were imported and three were from social gatherings. 107 new cases of COVID-19, two deaths registered on Tuesday CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Asked for more details about the names he is claiming to know about, Sant refused to mention any people. "In our judicial acts we did not mention prominent persons, including some involved in politics, capriciously," Sant said, refusing to delve any further into his client's suggestions. The Times reported that Abela represented the Agius family in two cases r e v o l v i n g around fi- nancial dis- putes, first in 2012 and then in 2016, and is now looking into wheth- er he should recuse himself from the deci- sion on whether to pardon a sus- pect in return for naming them. "The fact that I personally, not my law firm, but I personally, rep- resented the Agius brothers is not a secret," Abela said. A joint investigation by Malta- Today and The Times showed the Agius brothers, who police believe are at the head of an organised crime group, are part of the con- spiracy that supplied the bomb used to assassinate Caruana Gal- izia in 2017. Abela said this would not im- pair his judgement. "The fact that someone was my client in the past will certainly not work in their fa- vour when it comes to important decisions I have to take. The oath I took back in January holds me back from doing that. Even more so, my conscience won't allow it," he said. Vince Muscat has accused lead inspector Keith Arnaud and Kurt Zahra of playing for time in the interests of "prominent third par- ties", some of whom are politi- cians involved in the crimes, and said the only reason for this "exag- gerated delay" hidden interests to protect "prominent individuals" yet to be mentioned in connection with Caruana Galizia's murder. Muscat wants the entire Cabinet from 2017 to date, including for- mer prime minister Joseph Mus- cat and former chief of staff Keith Schembri, to testify about his presidential pardon request. Muscat declared that it was him who pointed the finger at middle- man Melvin Theuma back in April 2018. Then a formal request for a pardon was made again when Theu- ma and F e n e c h were ar- rested by the police in connec- ti¬on with the murder in November 2019. Theuma was first arrest- ed on a mon- ey laundering charge that he was aware of, be- cause of a pend- ing FIAU investigation that could have been prompted by Muscat's statement in 2018. Muscat held five sessions with the police between January and February, detailing his knowledge of various crimes. Muscat wants pending trial over his alleged in- volvement in the 2010 failed HS- BC heist should be postponed until a decision is taken on his pardon. Robert Abela did admit he was currently trying to estab- lish whether there are grounds for him to recuse himself on the matter. "The two instances where I had appeared on the Agi- us brothers' behalf have nothing at all to do with the allegations being made by [Vince Muscat]," Abela said. Abela has not yet taken a final decision on whether a pardon should be considered and that he was awaiting advice from po- lice commissioner Angelo Gafà and the attorney general, Victo- ria Buttigieg, who are examining Muscat's request in detail. 'We did not mention prominent persons, including some involved in politics, capriciously' Robert Abela: 'The fact that someone was my client in the past will certainly not work in their favour when it comes to important decisions I have to take'