Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1501168
8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 11 JUNE 2023 NEWS KARL AZZOPARDI FIREARMS issued by the Corradino Correc- tional Facility to former director Alex Dalli and his right-hand man Randolph Spiteri, were not returned more than a year after they resigned from their posts, MaltaToday has learnt. The pistols were issued during their time at the helm of the prison administration and were only returned in March 2023 – a full 16 months after their resignation. Sources who spoke to this newspaper said CCF director Christopher Siegersma knew of the matter, and that the issue was only resolved recently. Replying to questions by this newspaper, the prison administration was non-committal on when the firearms were handed over. "Internal Standard Operating Procedures are followed, which cannot be divulged for security reasons," a spokesperson said. A request for the CCF's firearms policy twice remained unanswered. Dalli suspended himself back in November 2021, after a 35-year-old Indian inmate was found dead in the prison's Division 4. He was found dead during a prison guard handover on the morning of 10 November. It was the 14th prisoner death during Dalli's four-year tenure. Randolph Spiteri, on the other hand, was transferred in May 2022 to the Critical Infra- structure Department which falls under the permanent secretary of the home affairs minis- try, where he oversees projects within the said department. kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt Former CCF boss Alex Dalli and right-hand man Randolph Spiteri only returned firearms issued to them months after leaving their jobs at the prison Ousted prison chief waited months to return firearm Alex Dalli MATTHEW FARRUGIA MALTA registered the highest in- crease in building permits issued in 2022 from all European Union mem- ber states, according to figures pub- lished by Eurostat. The EU's statistical office reported that Malta experienced a 29.4% in- crease in building permits last year, while on average the EU experienced a decline of 4.5%. The number of building permits is- sued decreased in 18 EU states, while the number rose in only nine countries including, Spain, Croatia, Bulgaria, It- aly, and at the top of the table, Malta. The Planning Authority, which is the entity tasked with accepting or denying building permits, has recently been at the centre of widespread frus- tration, even culminating in a national protest which drew thousands of peo- ple demanding planning reform and an end to environmental destruction. Responding to questions by Malta- Today, Malta Developers' Association (MDA) president Michael Stivala and economist Stephanie Fabri were in agreement that these statistics are a symptom of an economic model based on growth and volume. They highlighted that such figures can only keep growing if Malta's eco- nomic model remains unchanged. Earlier this month, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana warned that Malta's population must grow to 800,000 by 2040 for the current economic model to be sustained. "The real estate market responds to the market demand, and if the current economic model is based on growth, demand will also grow," explained MDA boss Michael Stivala, as he high- lighted that in a number of sectors, many employers are still in need of workers. Stivala stated that he is in favour of "tweaking" the current economic model, which has been a goldmine for the local construction industry over the past decade. "Economic growth is important, but we should start shifting to quality over quantity," Stivala said, as he called for a national discussion to find an alternative economic mod- el which depends less on volume and more on value. This, however, will be no cakewalk, explained the construction magnate, as government must also juggle ex- ternal factors that will impact the na- tional economy in the future, such as the minimum corporate tax, the war in Ukraine, and recession in the Eu- rozone. Urging caution and gradual change, Stivala warned that such a shift in the national economic model should take into consideration various risks, so as to avoid situations of mass unemployment. Meanwhile, economist and academ- ic Stephanie Fabri also claimed that "Malta needs a holistic national vision that is supported by the underpinning strategies." Describing the increase in build- ing permits as a result of economic growth, she stressed that such a na- tional vision should be "based on the ESG values to ensure that there is a solid governance system supporting that model, and that the environment and society are protected." According to Fabri, the discussion and vision for the economy is crucial, and only this should allow markets (such as the construction and property market) to act accordingly. Addition- ally, Fabri stated that only when such a vision is communicated to stakehold- ers, "we can then discuss how much to build but most importantly 'how' do we need to build to respect the social and environmental wellbeing of Malta and its people." Malta saw highest EU increase in building permits in 2022 Michael Stivala and Stephanie Fabri agree that Malta's spectaular increase in building permits when compared to its EU counterparts is the result of 'growth and volume'