Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1520947
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 MARCH 2022 OPINION 2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 MAY 2024 An unacceptable manipulation of vulnerable people Editorial GOVERNMENT'S action to induce social hous- ing applicants to shift their ID card to an unin- habitable Siggiewi housing block was manipula- tion of vulnerable people. There are no two ways of going about this. The apartments were not ready to move into and no formal lease agreement was signed with these people. They only had a promise. Housing Minister Rodrick Galdes should be ashamed of himself for allowing vulnerable peo- ple to be manipulated in this way. In parliament, Galdes even attempted emo- tional blackmail by saying the Nationalist Party's court action to have the ID card transfer process reversed was an action that in one case harmed the interests of a Gozitan cancer patient. The truth is that despite the transfer of the ID card from Gozo to Siggiewi, this cancer patient was still unable to start living in Siggiewi and the reason why is unrelated to the PN's court case. In all these cases, the people could not start living in Siggiewi because none of the proper- ties that were going to be assigned to them were habitable. The cancer patient lived in Gozo be- fore the ID card was transferred and continued living in Gozo even afterwards. Galdes should stop abusing the vulnerable state of this cancer patient to try and score brownie points by tugging at everyone else's heartstrings. Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech saw through the whole ruse and did not mince her words when delivering judgment on the handful of cases that she dealt with. Apart from carry- ing out a site visit to confirm for herself the fact that no one was living in the Siggiewi block, the magistrate noted inconsistencies in some of the testimonies. She went on to order the police to investigate and identify the public officials and entities who had manipulated voters into changing their ad- dress to the Siggiewi building She ruled: "There could be no doubt that the voters in question had not taken the initiative to register themselves at the specified address… it is shameful that they had been taken advan- tage of and manipulated by people who were entrusted with looking after their interests and wellbeing." The magistrate noted that contracts with the individuals had not been signed and thus these people were not even in possession of the key to their future abode. Another disconcerting issue is the rapid man- ner by which Identita issued the new ID cards despite applications containing missing data and an official even acting as witness to the fact that the individuals were living there – a lie. Minister Galdes can spin the story anyway he likes but to any right-thinking person, including the magistrate, it is more than clear that what happened in Siggiewi was an attempt to carry out electoral fraud. If these 99 individuals wanted to vote on 8 June, they would have had to do so in Siggiewi even though they had no clarity as to when they would actually be living there. The victims of this cynical game are the vul- nerable people, who were induced into making a false statement to a public authority, while still not benefitting from the housing that was prom- ised to them. It is unfortunate that Galdes accepted to play this dirty game. As housing minister, he has done a lot to bring some form of normality to what was previously a jungle in the private prop- erty rental market and in promoting schemes to help prospective home owners. He hammered out a just and lasting solution to the pre-1995 rents, which different administrations failed to achieve. But doing good is not a licence to twist the rules when it suits the political party you belong to. Galdes should have known better then allow vulnerable people to be used in this way. Unfortunately, he only made it worse by dou- bling down on his defence after being caught out. It is a shame that one of the current admin- istration's best performing ministers had to go down this rabbit hole and when he was caught out went on to accuse MaltaToday of 'spin' rath- er than shoulder political responsibility for what happened. But we are not surprised. Galdes is only fol- lowing the lead of Prime Minister Robert Abela, who chose to pull his gun out on the magistrate in the Vitals inquiry rather than draw lessons from that corrupt deal from which Malta did not benefit an ounce. Quote of the Week "Unjustifiable in a truly democratic society." Industrial Tribunal ruling that awarded former TVM presenter Norman Vella €15,000 compensation after it found that his secondment to the State broadcaster had been revoked by the incoming Labour government in 2013 for political reasons. MaltaToday 10 years ago 18 May 2014 Maltese consul in Libya probed in investigation over 'massive' visa scam MALTA'S consul in Tripoli Dr Marisa Farru- gia has been recalled back to Malta for urgent police questioning, after police took action in a request by the government over document- ed evidence of extensive fraud in the Maltese embassy, in the issuing of travel visas for Libyans. On Friday, Farrugia arrived in Malta and was interrogated by senior police officers from the Criminal Investigations Department in Floria- na, where she was questioned over allegations of fraud in the issue of hundreds of Maltese visas to Libyan nationals. The investigations took place after a number of Maltese companies raised the alarm when they realised that their letterheads were being used on recommendations and the official invi- tations used for the issuing of a visa for Libyan businessmen – allegedly copied and falsified to issue visas for other Libyan nationals. Malta's consul in Tripoli Dr Marisa Farrugia was recalled to Malta for urgent police ques- tioning at the CID on Friday, after police took action over documented evidence of extensive fraud in the Maltese embassy, in the issuing of travel visas for Libyans. The investigations took place after a number of Maltese companies claimed that their busi- ness letterheads were being falsified for recom- mendations and the official invitations used for the issuing of a visa for Libyan businessmen. The scam appears to have been an ongoing affair, with allegations that someone in the Maltese embassy in Tripoli was responsible and directly involved in the crime – in conjunction with a criminal gang. A Libyan criminal ring appears to have been responsible in approaching Libyans business- men and offering them an immediate Maltese visa for €1,500. The investigations have been ongoing since March 2013, when the police were approached about the issue of falsified letterheads by an unknown individual in the Maltese embassy.