Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1462122
20 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 20 MARCH 2022 Man dies from gas leak A man lost his life after a gas heater leak at his residence yes- terday. On Saturday at round 11:30am, police assisted the man at a residence in Triq il-Poeżija in Qormi, together with the Civil Protection De- partment. From preliminary investiga- tions, it results the 35-year-old man from Guinea-Bissau lost his consciousness after a gas heater leak. A medical team certified the man dead on the spot. Magistrate Josette Demicoli is leading an inquiry into the case and more police investi- gations will follow. LU KE VELLA THE Labour Party and PL leader Robert Abela yesterday denied claims made by inde- pendent candidate Arnold Cassola, on the alleged sale of a powerboat by Abela to one of the 'Maksar' brothers. The Agius brothers are im- plicated in the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and the murder of law- yer Carmel Chircop. Independent candidate Ar- nold Cassola yesterday stood outside the Office of the Prime Minister, saying he was seek- ing answers from Prime Min- ister Robert Abela over an al- leged powerboat hull deal with the Agiuses, who are still held in preventive custody since their arrest. Cassola said he had been left without a reply after sending multiple emails to the Prime Minis-ter, questioning the ve- racity of the claim. The deal allegedly happened some time between 2008 and 2012. "I have recently been approached with information regarding the re- lationship between Robert Ab- ela and the Agius brothers. In order to verify the veracity of such information, I wrote to Robert Abela on 13 February," Cassola said. Labour issued a press state- ment yesterday afternoon saying his claims had already been denied publicly by Rob- ert Abela during a press con- ference in which he was ques- tioned about the allegation by a Newsbook journalist. "This denial was made weeks ago and therefore Cassola was aware he was parroting a lie," Labour said. "Apart from being an illegal squatter for over four years, together with your Abela Ad- vo-cates; apart from having had business deals with crim- inals, such as Christian Borg; did the son of the President of Malta at the time, also do business with people whom you knew were al-leged as- sassins?" Cassola asked in his press conference. "Robert Ab- ela, you have ignored me. You cannot ignore the Maltese people." On 28 February 2022, News- book asked Abela whether he denied having sold a speed- boat to the Agiuses between 2008 and 2012, and that he had to chase them over a pending €5,000 payment until 2013. During the press conference organised by the Labour Par- ty, Abela had said: "I categor- ically deny having entered in- to business with them, and I have already denied when re- plying to media questions sent on the matter." Abela, PL deny Maksar powerboat deal claims