Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1466490
TRUTH IS OF NO COLOUR WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT Victim of Labour's propaganda machine? SUNDAY • 24 APRIL 2022 • ISSUE 1172 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY PAGE 10 Extradited supermarket boss to be charged today PHOTOGRAPHY JAMES BIANCHI THE owner of the More super- market chain, Ryan Schembri, will be arraigned today morning on charges of fraud amongst oth- ers, eight years after having left the island following the crash of the supermarket with millions in debts left behind. Schembri was arrested last week in Scotland. maltatoday FRANCE DECIDES PAGE 12 Macron vs Le Pen: French voters decide between a peg on the nose or a stinky raspberry PAGES 14-15 MYSTERY OF ZEJTUN'S SKELETON TROVE Study on the 15th century human bones found at Zejtun's St Gregory's Church has helped unravel the mysteries surrounding the remains and offers an insight into the life of Malta's nobility PAGE 8 'I had reason to disagree with Gonzi's decisions... but I don't think being part of that administration is a reason for MPs to be left out of the shadow Cabinet' MT2 'new Eve... comfort- Eve' INTERVIEW PN councillors want Grech to soldier on MaltaToday Survey PN councillors say Bernard Grech should remain leader ahead of election KURT SANSONE ALMOST 70% of Nation- alist Party councillors polled by MaltaToday be- lieve that Bernard Grech should remain leader of the party. Grech is the only one so far who has declared his intention to contest the leadership election, which is obligatory after the PN lost last month's general election. The survey carried out among PN councillors shows that 69.7% believe that Grech should be re- confirmed leader, while 14.2% disagree. A further 16% are undecided or did not give an answer. Among those who disagree with Grech's confirmation as lead- er, newly-elected MP Joe Giglio emerged as an alternative with 3.6% of the vote. He was followed by Rob- erta Metsola and Adrian Delia, who each obtained 3%. The survey was carried out between Tuesday 19 April and Friday 22 April. Don't go just yet: Bernard Grech goes into a mandatory leadership re-election without any contestants, and with general approval from over two-thirds of the PN's General Council MATTHEW VELLA AN internal audit of an annual €20,000 grant for theatre pro- ducer Mario Philip Azzopardi's Staġun Teatru Malti in 2016 had found "a significant portion (72%) of disbursements" covered invoices issued to Azzopardi and his wife. The short audit report, seen by MaltaToday, had been requested by the Arts Coun- cil. Theatre producer paid by Manoel even if play not staged BACK youngest Borg Bonello maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 APRIL 2022 COMMENT What are we skinning? EU chief prosecutor Laura Codruța Kövesi revealing that she was unable to locate the responsible anti-fraud bodies in Malta during an investigation visit last October. Why are we skinning it? Well first of all, because it's a story that could fit equally well within a Kafka narrative or an episode of the cult British TV satire The Thick of It. And secondly? It is also a depressing reiteration of certain cliches of Malteseness. How so? Kövesi appears to suggest that each of the sup- posed anti-fraud authorities she reached out to… suggested that she speak to someone else. And so on, ad infinitum. Okay but… how is that intrin- sically Maltese? You've clearly never had to get any paperwork processed by a State institution. I see what you're getting at now… but the last time I've had real trouble was way back in Everything's online surely? possible that successive gov- ernments have taken on a rather literal application of the 'bottom up' principle. But isn't this precisely the kind of thing that we should be tackling with utmost seri- ousness now that Malta's been greylisted? Yes, but it's highly possible that 'this kind of thing' is a big part of the equation as to why we were greylisted in the first place. So what's the solution? More transparency, less corruption. Easier said than done. Well, it would be easy enough to formu- late a plan if you at least knew which authority needs to take the lead on said planning. I've also noticed that one of Kövesi's EU colleagues recounted having a similar experience with Greece not too long ago. Perfect fodder for the Mediterranean Euros- ceptics to play the victim card, I suppose. We need to be a whole lot richer to afford transparency. But if you dream big, the sky's the limit. Malta's Macron vs Le Pen: the presidential election PGS 14 & 15 The Skinny Malta, shrunk down MICHAEL FALZON A new chapter PAGE 7 No 136 – Passing the Buck to Hide the Bucks JOSANNE CASSAR Shaping the island's charging EV infrastructure PAGE 13 EDITORIAL Youth, mental health and the perils of social media PAGE 2 SAVIOUR BALZAN Free for all PAGE 5 The apathy of the French youth, disappointed in both candidates, can significantly alter the election's outcome PHOTO: ARON TANTI maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 APRIL 2022 CLASSIFIEDS & COMMERCIALS ARTS • TV • WHAT'S ON Ian Moore "Without theatre I am nothing; just dig a hole two metres deep, one metre wide and two metres in length and, without theatre, I'd simply climb in and say goodbye." maltatoday Get the critical perspective on politics, culture and society Be the first to enjoy our print newspaper with a subscription When you need to decode what politicians are saying, when you want to understand why Malta's crazy construction industry is impacting upon your life, when you need to step out of the social media and understand the world from a different perspective, our journalists and columnists will provide you with expert reporting, analysis and commentary. 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