Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1496383
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 5 APRIL 2023 NEWS NEWS BELGIAN and German police raided the European People Par- ty's Brussels headquarters on Tuesday. The visit is connected to an ongoing inquiry in Thuringia, Germany, the EPP said in a state- ment. "The party is cooperating in full transparency with the authorities involved, providing all relevant information and documenta- tion," the EPP said. German outlet Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk reported that the raid is connected to Mario Voigt, leader of Germany's centre-right Christian Democrats in the par- liament group of the state of Thuringia, and his involvement in the EPP's 2019 election cam- paign. According to the report, he was recruited to support the EPP's digital campaign in 2019. According to reports, the group then awarded a contract to an internet agency based in Voigt's home state Thuringia, from which he is suspected of having received money later on. Voigt has been under investiga- tion by German anti-corruption officers since September 2022 on suspicion of bribery in business dealings. "As this is an ongoing legal in- vestigation, the EPP will not pro- vide any further comment," the EPP said. Police raid EPP Brussels headquarters in connection with bribery probe The European People Party's Brussels headquarters KENNETH Farrugia has been appointed as the new Chief Ex- ecutive Officer of the Malta Fi- nancial Services Authority. The MFSA said the board took note of the several chang- es in the leadership of the au- thority that took place over the last years and acknowledged that these were not beneficial for the Authority. The board agreed the ap- pointment of the right person to lead the MFSA over the coming years was a matter of urgency while opting out of public calls for applications as "previous open and interna- tional call for applications had also not been beneficial to the authority." It said the board noted how the leadership changes over the past years had not been in the MFSA's best interests. The board concluded that Farrugia has the right skills to provide the necessary impetus to implement the changes and reforms required by the organ- isation going forward. "Farrugia has extensive expe- rience in leadership, with pre- vious appointments as Director General at the Internal Audit and Investigations Department (IAID) and as Director of the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU)," the statement read. The MFSA said Farrugia is also very well regarded at an international level by a num- ber of supranational author- ities including the European Commission, European Bank- ing Authority, Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units and MONEYVAL, and "has been acclaimed by the US gov- ernment for his achievements and integrity." "He is also highly regarded by the wider community of in- dustry stakeholders in Malta, which is considered essential for the MFSA," it said. The Board thanked Michelle Mizzi Buontempo, who held the position of Acting Chief Execu- tive Officer for the past months, and was "instrumental" in the publication of the Authority's latest Strategic Statement. Kenneth Farrugia appointed MFSA CEO New measures aimed at tackling allegations of abuse within voluntary sector Kenneth Farrugia has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Financial Services Authority THE Commissioner for Vol- untary Organisations has an- nounced new measures aimed at tackling allegations of abuse within the voluntary sector. Any individual or administra- tor, worker, volunteer or any other person that receives a service from a voluntary organ- isation, registered or otherwise, that feels to be the victim of aggression or abused is encour- aged to confidentially inform the Office of the Commissioner on safeguarding.cvo@gov.mt. Organisations themselves are obliged through this policy to report the same type of cases on the same email address. Commissioner Jesmond Sali- ba explained that since Maltese law stipulates that such acts could be criminal, civil or both, the Commissioner for Volun- tary Organisations, will be re- ferring such cases immediately to the Commissioner of Police for investigation to determine whether such cases would be of a criminal nature. "In this way, we can ascertain that the victims that emerge from these situations will be safeguarded in every way possi- ble," Saliba explained. Saliba added that he believes "wholeheartedly" in the work of the voluntary sector and its so- cial impact and therefore he had and will keep having the duty to safeguard the sector in every as- pect from whoever has any ulte- rior motives which could harm voluntary work and the sector itself. The new measures come as the Commissioner for Volun- tary Organisations had received allegations of sexual miscon- duct by the senior management of YMCA, and has since passed on all information to police. Jesmond Saliba