Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1491408
TRUTH IS OF NO COLOUR WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT SUNDAY • 29 JANUARY 2023 • ISSUE 1213 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY maltatoday PAGES 12-13 Rising population leads to need for energy distribution centre at disability hub site PAGE 4 NAXXAR €1.95 You can marry, vote and have sex at 16 but you can't be sent to jail PAGES 8-9 Right or wrong? GIGLIO KURT SANSONE A magistrate had "real suspi- cion" that police officers may have been involved in the grue- some murder of Lino Cauchi, information revealed for the first time shows. Cauchi went missing in Febru- ary 1982 and his dismembered body was found in a well in Bus- kett in November 1985. Nobody has ever been charged with the murder. The shocking revelation comes from the police file submitted in the court records of a consti- tutional case Cauchi's widow, Anna Cassar, and his son, Paolo, filed against the State. Judge Francesco Depasquale last week awarded the heirs €615,000 in compensation after concluding the State failed to properly investigate the mur- der, pointing out several serious shortcomings. 'Police were involved' in Lino Cauchi 1982 murder ROBERTA METSOLA could be set to become the European People's Party lead candidate in the 2024 European elections, a key role that could mean she will be tipped for President of the European Commission should the European People's Party claim victory at the polls. But that political course is fraught with challenges - for Metsola, for the EPP's leader Manfred Weber, and possibly for even the Maltese prime minister himself, Robert Abela. Metsola this week was described by Weber – the EPP's own lead candidate in 2019 but denied the role of EC boss when Europe's leaders chose Ursula von der Leyen over him – as one of the centre-right's "two very capable women in top positions" that could be "excellent frontrunners" for 'spitzenkandidat' in 2024. Indeed, Metsola might well be Weber's preferred choice, a factor that also depends on Von der Leyen's forthcoming decision whether to contest or not. "I see my main task as leading the EPP and facilitating the selection process," Weber told the German press this week... reminding them how he was denied the top job five years earlier despite the EPP's victory. PAGES 8-9 EPP boss flirts with European hard right in build-up to 2024 campaign, with Roberta Metsola poised as compromise 'lead candidate' for a shot at president of the European Commission Matthew Vella Metsola courted for European Commission president Inquiring magistrate told Homicide Commission in 1996, of "real suspicion" that Maltese police were involved in murder of accountant suspected of laundering money for Labour minister time for 'theatrics' on law order is over INTERVIEW MT2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 JANUARY 2023 COMMENT Who is parenting whom? JOSANNE CASSAR PAGE 6 The Skinny Malta, shrunk down MICHAEL FALZON Jailhouse rock PAGE 7 SAVIOUR BALZAN Waiting for justice PAGE 5 EDITORIAL Justice requires quality, not just quantity PAGE 2 RAPHAEL VASSALLO Who came up with those new 'cannabis rules', anyway? Cheech and Chong? PAGES 10 & 11 While children are invariably embarrassed by their parents no matter what they do – the embarrassment is taken to a whole when one's mother is so gets all the What are we skinning? Construc- tion magnate and chronic spon- sorship splurger Joseph Portelli's declared desire to resign from his post as Hamrun Spartans presi- dent, so that he may pop up on the pitch occassionally for a few minutes of tackling and scoring for the club he apparently loves too much to man. Why are we skinning it? Because it's yet another ostentatious yet potentially strategically loaded move from one of Malta's most prominent 'patrons' of... everything. What do you mean by 'everything'? Portelli – the big kahuna of JP Portelli Projects, lest we forget – is not only the brain- child behind some of Malta and his native Gozo's most controver- sial construction projects: he is also a multi-sponsor of football and futsal teams, as well as a re- gatta and – crucially – the parish feasts of Zabbar and Nadur. Why does he choose to spread his money far and wide in such a way? He claims it's because he 'enjoys others enjoying themselves'. That's noble enough. It's also the reason why most people watch porn, but I digress... Still, don't you think your cynicism is a tad premature? This is one of the most powerful business magnates of the island about here. Hardly what Na- ically rich – symbolic network that assures his influence within traditional spheres of Maltese social life. Would you rather he just acts out his mid-life crisis by splurg- ing on sports cars instead? I'll admit that Portelli's ongoing bid for relevance may be more envi- ronmentally friendly than that of some of his compatriots, yes. Ironic that you should cite the environment as something Portelli holds dear. Yes, which is why my metaphor should be rele- gated to the same fantasy-land in which Portelli signs on with Ham- run Spartans to be a legitimate player who now contributes to his beloved team on the ground, and on the ground alone. Do you believe that his dream will pan out, though? It seems like the Malta Football Associ- ation may be willing to throw a spanner in that particular bundle of works... How so? It seems as though former club presidents cannot in fact register as players within the same team, lest they face the wrath of the Association's ethics committee. Ethical wrath should be par for the course for our Joe, though. And so it goes... Do say: "Portelli continues to secure his legacy as Malta's an- swer to Silvio Berlusconi, with his attempts to curry favour within socially potent worlds of local village feasts. This therefore, No. 176 - Portelli Plays a Beautiful Game maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 JANUARY 2023 CLASSIFIEDS & COMMERCIALS ARTS • TV • WHAT'S ON Isabel Warrington Actress PHOTO JAMES BIANCHI 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. Order now at maltatoday.uberflip.com