Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1365814
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 28 APRIL 2021 NEWS KARL AZZOPARDI FORMER parliamentary secretary responsi- ble for planning Deborah Schembri replaces Marthese Portelli as Malta Developers As- sociation director general The former Parliamentary Secretary for Planning Deborah Schembri has been made Malta Developers Association director gen- eral. She will be replacing former Nationalist Party MP and shadow environment minis- ter Marthese Portelli, who was appointed Malta Chamber CEO last week. Schembri, who was elected on the Labour ticket during the 2013 general election, was not re-elected in the 2017 election. She was in the running to be elected through a casual election for a vacated seat in the 12th district, but was overcome by now Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo. Schembri, a divorce lawyer, had cam- paigned for the Yes vote during the 2011 divorce referendum. She was made parliamentary secretary for lands and planning in 2016. Announcing her appointment, the MDA said Schembri "is a target-oriented person, known for her excellent communicative skills and calm demeanour." "The MDA is confident that Dr. Schembri enjoys the trust of both its members and the general public and has full faith in her capability to lead the much-needed reforms within the industry during these challenging times," the statement read. Deborah Schembri is new director general for developers' lobby group Deborah Schembri LAURA CALLEJA A slip of the tongue from arts and culture minister José Herrera has earned him a lashing from the Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA), after he claimed the arts were "more of a vocation" than a gain- ful occupation or business. Herrera's comments to jour- nalists in a press conference on Monday, in which he said "the artist's IQ is not so business-ori- ented" - a response to Net News on the support for artists dur- ing the COVID-19 pandemic - earned him rebuke from the MEIA. "These comments, which are contradictory to the actual press conference he was part of, insult hundreds of people employed and self-employed in the sec- tors as well as the creative en- trepreneurs who have built the industry through decades of hard work and investment," the MEIA said. The association said Herrera's statement was also confusing since it contradicted what he out- lined in the press conference, re- affirming that the economic data clearly shows the positive con- tribution of the creative sectors to Malta's economy, surpassing other sectors. "Such comments, which might have had a different intention, can have a devastating effect and counteract all possible efforts and sacrifices made by the various sectors as well as other Ministries to respond to the current crisis." The MEIA said such sentiments fuel a narrative that belittles art- ists at a time when they require support, and called on Herrera to apologise to professionals work- ing in the hardest-hit industry. Record producer Howard Keith Debono also said he was offended by Herrera's chosen words. "I'm sure the intention might have been different, but this is exactly the kind of narrative I have been fighting against all my life. Let us not go back to the days where the word career in the arts was not even an option or laughed at," Debono said. Minister's 'artist-IQ' comment earns him rebuke from arts and entertainment industry José Herrera Zenith: Prosecution earns reprimand over 'fishing expedition' MATTHEW AGIUS THE prosecution in the compilation of evidence against Zenith directors Mat- thew Pace and Lorraine Falzon have been told off by the court for summoning witnesses who had already testified in a magisterial inquiry into the money laun- dering allegations made against the pair. Pace and Falzon were among 11 peo- ple arraigned in March. They are being charged with money laundering, corrup- tion, and other financial crimes. During the sitting held on Tuesday morning, the court heard several police officers involved in Pace's arrest testi- fy. MFSA's representatives also testified about their findings regarding the com- pany's history and past transactions. The uneventful sitting sparked brief- ly to life when it transpired that one of the witnesses who appeared on behalf of MFSA was presenting documents which she had not prepared herself. The wit- ness was not allowed to exhibit the re- port in court as she did not know what it contained. Another witness, the director of Capi- tal Transfer Duty department within the Commission of Inland Revenue, who was tasked with bringing 'all' the infor- mation the department has on the ac- cused and which also included informa- tion on third parties was also not allowed to testify. The court objected to the dragnet ap- proach adopted by the prosecution who had apparently summoned representa- tives to present all the transactions from the year 2000, when the relevant peri- od was from 2008-2018. "This is not a fishing expedition," remarked the court, urging the prosecution to only present evidence relevant to the case at hand. Lawyers Edward Gatt and Mark Vas- sallo are appearing as defence counsel for the accused. The case continues on 12 May. Matthew Pace