Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1514895
4 NEWS 4 MATTHEW AGIUS magius@mediatoday.com.mt maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 24 JANUARY 2024 THE environment watchdog cracks down on illegal dumping of waste with €8,000 in fines The environment watchdog has issued €7,800 in fines to individu- als involved in four separate cases of illegal dumping and burning of waste. The heftiest fine totalling €4,000 was reserved for a person who was caught on video dumping cement slurry on garigue land. The individual had been filmed by a member of the public and was traced by Environment and Re- sources Authority officers through the number plate of the cement mixer. "The culprit was required to manually remove the fresh con- crete, supervised by ERA officers, resulting also in a €4,000 fine," the authority said in a statement on Tuesday. ERA officers also caught two in- dividuals illegally dumping a re- frigerator and cardboard waste in an area at Ħandaq in Qormi. ERA imposed a €1,400 fine. Fines were also issued in two oth- er instances of illegal waste incin- eration. In one case, smouldering burnt waste in a metal skip led to a €1,200 fine, while in Ta' San- nat, Gozo, ERA officers, managed to identify the contravener who fled the scene and fined the cul- prit €1,200 for incinerating mixed waste. The authority said it has used strategically placed cameras in hotspot areas to monitor against abuse. Its compliance unit also employs other tools like drones to catch perpetrators. ERA urged the public to report illegal waste disposal via phone at 2292 3500 or through the online portal ERIS. Almost €8,000 in fines for illegal dumping and burning of waste Police stop car driven by unlicensed, uninsured woman on bail for armed robbery KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt A court has remanded a woman in custody after hear- ing how she was stopped while driving without a li- cence or insurance, in breach of a court-imposed curfew, whilst on bail for charges of armed robbery. Inspector Gabriel Kitcher charged 21-year-old Miyem Milal Ali from Zabbar with committing an intentional breach of bail conditions im- posed last July when she was released from arrest. She was also charged with driving a car without a driving licence or insurance cover. The woman was also charged with driving a car without the permission of its owner and providing false particulars to the police. He explained that the wom- an was a defendant in anoth- er case and had been granted bail on several conditions, amongst them that she ob- serve a curfew. Ali had last been arraigned in February 2023, together with others, in connection with a string of muggings. Inspector Kitcher explained that a traffic police road checkpoint in Zabbar had signalled to the car Ali was driving, to pull over. At first the car didn't stop, he said, but then screeched to a halt, in what he described as a "handbrake stop." The officers recognised the driver to be the defendant, who would regularly sign a bail book at the Zabbar po- lice station. The time was noted to be 10:30pm, half an hour past a curfew stipulat- ed by the court as part of her bail conditions. When the police officers had asked her to state her ID card number, the woman had provided a number that per- tained to her passenger and not her. It was noted that she did not have a driving licence and so Ali was taken into custody. Ali, who told the court she worked as a manager, plead- ed not guilty to the charges against her. Defence lawyer Brandon Kirk Muscat asked the court to release his client on bail. Inspector Kitcher ob- jected, arguing that being found outside in breach of court-imposed bail condi- tions was sufficient to arrest a person, "much more so when you are not licensed or insured to drive and are transporting a passenger, and then giving false details to the police." This, the in- spector said, showed that the defendant was not interested in changing her ways and was untrustworthy. Muscat argued that there had not been any attempt to tamper with evidence on the part of the defendant, who also had a four-year-old child who depended on her. The court denied bail, rul- ing that the woman could not provide sufficient guarantees to the court, which was un- convinced that she would abide by any bail conditions it might impose. A woman out on bail over an armed robbery is stopped at a police roadblock driving without a licence and insurance cover, and after the court- imposed time curfew