Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1342444
2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 FEBRUARY 2021 NEWS Delivery fee of just €1 per day for orders up to 5 newspapers per address To subscribe 1. Email us your choice of newspapers, recipient's name, address, contact number to production @millermalta.com 2. Forward cheques payable to Miller Distributors Ltd on address: Miller House, Airport Way, Tarxien Road, Luqa LQA1814 Queries on other news- papers and magazines, production@ millermalta.com maltatoday Same-day delivery of your favourite Sunday newspaper Monday-Friday MaltaToday Midweek • €1 BusinessToday • €1.50 Sunday MaltaToday • €1.95 ILLUM • €1.25 Support your favourite newspaper with a subscription https://bit.ly/2X9csmr Cases 20,762 Active 2,526 Recoveries 17,933 Deaths 303 Swabs 671,717 LATEST COVID-19 www.maltatoday.com.mt/covid19 TWO French men have been handed suspended sentences after presenting the authori- ties with a false COVID-19 test result in a bid to leave Malta, while a third man, from Lib- ya, has been conditionally dis- charged after helping the police find the person who is produc- ing the false test result docu- ments, abroad. Tabatoni Samuel Fabrizio Numa, 26 and Michelosi Ar- naud Marine Jean, 25, both from Provence, in France, were sentenced to two years suspended for four years, by magistrate Yana Micallef Sta- frace, after pleading guilty to making false declarations to the authorities and making use of falsified documents at Malta International Airport. In the third arraignment, In- spector Silvio Magro request- ed a ban on the publication of the Libyan man's name so as not to prejudice ongoing in- vestigations. Defence lawyer Charles Mercieca said the defence had no objection. The Libyan man, who was also arrested yesterday as he was leaving the islands, plead- ed guilty to knowingly making a false declaration to the au- thorities and knowingly mak- ing use of falsified documents. Inspector Magro said the man had cooperated with the police and had gone beyond what was expected of him. His assistance is expected to lead the police to finding the source of the false medical tests. Mercieca said he had wanted to leave Malta quickly due to a family emergency. He tested negative for COVID-19. In the circumstances, the court gave the man a 2 year conditional discharge. "It is important to know that a conditional discharge is not an acquittal, nor is it given for nothing," said the Magistrate, warning him to be careful in his future behaviour. Men admit to using falsified COVID results in bid to leave Malta MATTHEW AGIUS INLAND Revenue Commissioner Mar- vin Gaerty is no longer on police bail, his lawyers have confirmed. Gaerty had been released on police bail last December after being ques- tioned by police over chats with Tumas magnate Yorgen Fenech, as part of an investigation into trading in influence with Fenech, who stands accused of conspiracy to murder journalist Daph- ne Caruana Galizia. One conversation hinted at possible trading in influence after the VAT au- thorities had found irregularities in an inspection at Fenech's offices at Porto- maso. The legal wrangle was later settled af- ter Fenech paid an administrative fine, as is permitted by law. It is not clear whether Gaerty had al- lowed the police to access his phone, described as a "Pandora's box of sensi- tive information." Police had been waiting for a deci- sion by Prime Minister Robert Abela on whether to unlock the tax chief's phone as part of their investigations. His lawyers declined to comment on this issue, citing the fact that it is the subject of a magisterial inquiry. Tax chief's police bail COVID deaths reach 303 199 new cases of COV- ID-19 were registered on Thursday, the health ministry has said. 106 new recoveries were registered, bring- ing the number of ac- tive cases to 2,526. 62,059 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered until Wednesday. Of which 19,828 were sec- ond doses. Total recoveries stand at 17,933 while total cases registered stand at 20,762. Two deaths were reg- istered in the last 24 hours. A female aged 92 dies at Gozo Central Hospital while a man, aged 84, died at Mater Dei Hospital. The total number of deaths is 303. 3,100 swab tests were carried out in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of swabs to 671,717.