Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1303831
7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 28 OCTOBER 2020 NEWS A €2.2 million projectly currently under- way will result in new forensic laboratorie and adeqtae asset storage space for the Asset Recovery Bureau, MaltaToday has learned. The project will include the purchase of a large warehouse which will be used to store assets seized in the fight against or- ganised crime and money laundering. On Tuesday in Parliament, Opposition leader Bernard Grech said the govern- ment had failed to deliver on its promise to strengthen the ARB which, he said, had hardly produced any results. But when contacted, Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis rubbished Grech's claims. "Just as the Labour government recog- nised the importance of setting up the ARB in 2015, we remain committed to ensuring the bureau can benefit from the latest technology and all the funding nec- essary to fulfill its mandate," he said. The new premises will include special- ised laboratories with new technology to help in asset tracing as well as enough stor- age space to preserve confiscated assets. The number of staff on ARB's payroll are also set to increase considerably in the coming weeks. Zammit Lewis said this latest investment in the ARB complements new legislation recently drawn up - the Proceeds of Crime Bill. The bill will establish an Asset Recovery Office, fully independent of the govern- ment and with its functions and scope clearly laid out. "This new bill also provides a solid basis for the harmonisation of procedures ef- fective under different laws affecting crime proceeds," Zammt Lewis said. €2.2million new facilities for Asset Recovery Bureau 'A budget for the next 10 years' - Abela KARL AZZOPARDI PRIME Minister Robert Abela has said this year's budget will cater for the next ten years thanks to government's long-term vision. Abela was speaking during his budget reaction in parliament on Tuesday evening. "This was a budget with no new taxes, which took nothing but gave a lot. This was the best budget ev- er made," Abela said. The PM went on to say that gov- ernment's clever management of finances allowed for the granting of vouchers, wage supplements and higher children's allowance. Abela hit out at opposition lead- er Bernard Grech's reaction on Monday, when he said that this was a "recycled budget". "May we continue to have recy- cled budgets like the one we just presented," he said. On COVID-19, Abela said that while government may have made mistakes, it always remained con- centrated on striking a balance between aiding the economy and safeguarding people's lives. "Countries around us were knocked down due to the pan- demic, with us it faced the best healthcare system we ever had in our country," he said. The PM said that investment in the healthcare sector allowed for workers to be best prepared for the challenges brought about by the pandemic. "We have 5,500 more full tim- ers in the health sector than in 2013. That is how we invest in the healthcare sector," he said. He promised Maltese families that the country will be among the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Abela said that last March was the month which would define the government's socialist principles. "We are the movement which believes in the workers and those who employ them. That is what defines us," he said. On Grech's claims that the PM is interfering with Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gau- ci's work, Abela said that the op- position leader is sending mixed signals. "First, he told us that he fully be- lieves in Charmaine Gauci, then he said that we should launch a board which oversees her work. Can he decide?" Abela said. He went on to hit out at the PN for calling a leadership contest in the middle of the pandemic. On measures enacted earlier this week, and are expected to come into action on Thursday, the PM said that he believes such meas- ures were not "overboard". "At the moment, that is what is necessary. We listened to what the people had to say. I understand that people have to work and earn a living. I apologize to those with bars but at the moment, that is what is needed," the prime minis- ter said. He went on to say that gov- ernment is pro-business and pro-market. "Why are you trying to make our businesses look like bad people?" he asked the opposition. Reacting to criticism fielded by opposition on social partners dic- tating the government's agenda, Abela said that they got what de- served not what they wanted. "We want to help people, not push them away," he said. Speaking about unemployment, Abela said government succeeded in reducing the number of unem- ployed by 1,200 in June, July, Au- gust and October. On January's political unrest, Abela said that when he was made PM one of his main points of ac- tion was to continue the momen- tum of economic growth started by Labour in 2013. "January's political turmoil calmed down in a couple of days, and serenity returned. We changed the people in top posts. We enacted many reforms, and this has received praise from the European Commission," he said.