Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1501361
NEWS 5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 14 JUNE 2023 VACANCY – NANNY A full-time nanny position is available, requiring a caring and attentive individual to look after two young children. The responsibilities include providing nurturing and safe care, engaging the children in age-appropriate activities, assisting with daily routines and meals, and supporting their learning and development. The requirements for the role include previous experience in childcare or as a nanny, fluency in English and Spanish, reliability, and trustworthiness. Interested candidates should submit their resume to Mr. Ketil Molbach Staalesen at ketil@kmsinvest.ltd by June 21, 2023. Qualified applicants will be contacted directly. No Agencies please. MATTHEW AGIUS A court has ruled that an article written by inde- pendent politician Arnold Cassola about an Ital- ian businessman who was allegedly laundering mafia money in Malta was not defamatory, add- ing that it was in the public interest for the Mal- tese police to take such allegations seriously so as to protect the country's international reputation. The libel suit was filed by Bruno Tucci, an in- dustrial chemist, in response to an opinion piece penned by Cassola titled "Will Robert be his own man or continue in Joseph's footsteps?", which was published by MaltaToday website in July 2021. Tucci had been investigated by the Italian au- thorities over suspected involvement in money laundering activities in Malta. The court recog- nized the article's focus on the public interest of thorough investigations to restore the country's reputation, ultimately dismissing Tucci's claims. The article was written in the context of Mal- ta's greylisting by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which had highlighted concerns about Malta's handling of tax evasion, money launder- ing, and the presence of anonymous beneficiaries behind Maltese-registered companies. Cassola had pointed out that these problems had mushroomed during former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's tenure and questioned whether his successor, Robert Abela, would take decisive action to address the scandals which were harm- ing Malta's international reputation. He had also raised specific concerns about the lack of investigations by Maltese police into lo- cally registered companies suspected by Ital- ian authorities of engaging in criminal activities connected to the mafia. Tucci's involvement was mentioned as a shareholder in two Maltese com- panies—one engaged in import-export trade and the other specialising in the importation of eco- logical equipment. While the distinction between suspicion and guilt was apparent to an ordinary reader, said the court, the implication of Tucci's suspect- ed involvement in organised crime could cast a negative light on his character and integrity. Crucially, however, Tucci had failed to demon- strate that he had suffered actual financial or tangible harm or any significant impact on his reputation. Cassola had insisted on the truthfulness of his claims, exhibiting documents which indicated that Tucci's phone had been wiretapped by the Italian Carabinieri in 2005. The intercepted calls revealed connections between Tucci, Nicola Della Corte (an intermediary for Nicola Schia- vone, the son of the notorious "Schiavone" clan boss), and allegations of money laundering. Ad- ditional evidence included the discovery of Tuc- ci's business card inside a wallet belonging to the Mafia boss's son, which had triggered inves- tigations into suspected laundering of Camorra funds through real estate investments in Malta. Moreover, Tucci's companies, which have since been struck off, had failed to submit audited accounts for several years. Cassola also submit- ted articles from reputable international media sources that mentioned Tucci and the Italian authorities' phone tapping. In a decision handed down earlier this week, Magistrate Rachel Montebello upheld Cassola's claims regarding the veracity of his statements. The court determined that Cassola's assertion that the Maltese police should investigate Tucci constituted the expression of an honest opinion based on information published in various foreign newspapers. These articles, the result of investi- gative journalism, collectively constituted privi- leged publications on a matter of unquestionable public interest, said the court, adding that the ar- ticles in question remain available online. The court concluded that a reasonable person could be expected to arrive at the same conclu- sion as the opinion expressed by Cassola—that Tucci should be investigated by Maltese author- ities. The court further emphasised that Cassola's opinion had been expressed without malice and that there was no evidence to suggest that Cas- sola did not genuinely believe what he wrote. Tucci's libel claim was dismissed. The judgement also underscored the impor- tance of addressing serious issues such as tax evasion, money laundering and the alleged infil- tration of organised crime in Malta, as matters of public interest. By taking action to investigate and combat these concerns, Malta has the op- portunity to rebuild its reputation, which had been tarnished by scandals left unaddressed by the previous administration. Lawyer Philip Manduca represented Cassola, while lawyer Edward Gatt appeared for Tucci. Independent politician Arnold Cassola Court dismisses libel suit filed by Italian businessman against Arnold Cassola School bus driver, 31, accused of sexually assaulting six-year-old boy A school bus driver has been remanded in custody after charged with sexually as- saulting and corrupting a six- year-old boy. The 31-year-old Indi- an citizen, who resides at Mġarr, was arraigned un- der arrest before Magistrate Leonard Caruana on Tues- day, accused of committing a non-consensual sexual act on a person under the age of 15, as well as working as a public transport driver without the necessary li- cence. The boy's school was not identified during the ar- raignment. The incident is believed to have taken place earlier this month. Prosecuting lawyer Danica Vella, together with Police Inspectors Dorianne Tab- one and Eman Hayman, asked the court to issue a protection order in favour of the victim and to con- demn the man to suffer the costs of the case, should guilt be found. They also requested that the driver be placed under a treatment order and the suspension of his driving li- cence. The defendant, whose name was banned from pub- lication, pleaded not guilty to the charges. Bail was not requested as the alleged vic- tim had not yet testified. A protection order was is- sued in favour of the alleged victim. Lawyers Jason Azzopardi and Kris Busietta were de- fence counsel.