Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1496383
NEWS 7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 5 APRIL 2023 MARIANNA CALLEJA The Notarial Council has asked Smash TV pre- senter Emanuel Cuschieri to publicly apologise to Repubblika President Robert Aquilina. The council condemned Cuschieri's recent com- ments on his programme Linja Diretta, where he singled out Aquilina for providing his services to the Archdiocese of Malta. "The Council draws the attention of Cuschieri, that the public, including any entity has the right to freely choose any notary, from among the offi- cial list that is published every year in the Govern- ment Gazette." Emanuel Cuschieri, who had resorted to Smash after being removed by Robert Abela from ONE Radio some months ago, questioned the Archdi- ocese's decision to employ Aquilina about nine years ago. In a reply to Cuschieri, Aquilina said on Face- book that he serves this entity and all his clients with integrity and honesty. "Such attacks on democracy are not acceptable," Aquilina said, adding "this is called fascism." "The more time passed, the less time I had for the profession and I never earned a cent from my activism. Which I have accepted without ever complaining." Aquilina maintained that contrary to Cuschieri's assertion, he has never "earned a cent" from state- run entities, whether under a Labour or National- ist government. Aquilina claimed that Cuschieri is being sup- ported by former prime minister Joseph Muscat to silence him and his friends. "This will not work. I'll keep collaborating with everyone in our nation who has positive inten- tions so that we can offer our children a future they can be proud of," Aquilina said. Notarial Council wants Emanuel Cuschieri to publicly apologise to Robert Aquilina Emanuel Cuschieri (left) and Robert Aquilina KURT SANSONE CYRUS Engerer has asked the Europe- an Commission to explain what it is do- ing about a Syrian private airline used by criminal groups to smuggle people into Libya. The Labour MEP tabled the parliamentary questions following revelations by MaltaToday last Sunday that Cham Wings is being used to smuggle Bangladeshi migrants into Libya from where they are then assigned to boats for the dangerous crossing to Europe. The newspaper's exclusive report was based on intelligence com- piled by Frontex, the EU's border agency, on the criminal networks operating on the central Mediterranean migrant route. "I asked the European Commission to immediately and official- ly provide an explanation of what it is doing about Cham Wings, which in the past were subject to blacklisting by the European Un- ion and which were eventually removed from this blacklist, despite existing intelligence indicating that they are still operating close to migrant smuggling criminal groups," Engerer said. He said information from Frontex confirms that the number of Bangladeshi nationals crossing to Europe from Libya increased dis- proportionately and are now the third most common nationality crossing irregularly from Libya despite the geographic distance of their country of origin. "We cannot remain silent in the face of such serious allegations, especially when we are seeing history repeating itself," Engerer said. He asked the European Commission what action it is taking against Cham Wings and whether it is aware of which criminal groups are working with this airline to smuggle these people. Cham Wings was sanctioned by the EU following its involvement in ferrying migrants to Belarus in the summer of 2021 but sanctions were lifted in July last year. It appears the airline has now shifted its operations to the people smuggling network in the central Mediter- ranean. Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri told parliament last month that he raised questions with the European Commission over its stand on Cham Wings, having singled out the airline. The European Commission is bound to give a written answer to the MEP's questions within three weeks. Engerer seeks answers from Brussels over MaltaToday report on Cham Wings Cyrus Engerer Birzebbuga youth accused of sex with 13-year-old care home escapee AN 18-year-old man from Birżebbuġa has been remand- ed in custody after he was ar- raigned in court on charges of having sex with a 13-year-old girl in Żejtun on Saturday. The defendant, Luca Agius, was charged with committing acts of a sexual nature on the girl, participating in sexual ac- tivities with her and corrupt- ing her with lewd acts. He was also accused of the possession and supplying of cannabis, as well as being a recidivist. Inspector Joseph Busuttil, who investigated the case to- gether with Inspector Doriette Cuschieri, told Magistrate Joe Mifsud that the charges were the result of a police investi- gation into a report of a miss- ing girl who had disappeared from the care home where she was residing, spending an en- tire night away. He said that it emerged that the defendant had spent the night with some friends in an abandoned house in Żejtun and that he had sex with the girl there, sex to which the girl had consented. The girl had told her carers about the incident, saying that the accused had tried to have sex with her for a second time, but she had not wanted to and that the defendant had accepted this and stopped. The inspector added that when the two youngsters had been in each other's company they had also smoked canna- bis, which had been purchased by the accused. He said that the defendant, who is unem- ployed, had recently been an inmate at Corradino prison. He is understood to have previously faced similar charges. Legal aid defence lawyer Brandon Kirk Muscat did not request bail for the defendant at this stage. Magistrate Mifsud told the defendant that it was "a good time" for him to be remanded in custody at the correctional Facility, as during Holy Week the atmosphere there would allow him to reflect. "Get out of there properly, there is help, such as Caritas, Sedqa and Suriet il Bniedem," the magistrate told the accused, urging him to make the best of the opportunity. Lawyers Sean Gabriel Azz- opardi and Danika M. Vella from the Attorney General's Office led the Prosecution to- gether with Inspectors Busut- til and Cuschieri.