Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1531934
4 NEWS 4 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 29 JANUARY 2025 KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt PAC hears NAO official testify on Film Commission investigation Man guilty of robbing elderly couple in Zabbar has punishment slashed by more than five years A man had his prison-term reduced significantly from seven years to 18 months after being found guilty of burglarising the home of an elderly couple in Zabbar in 2009. Christopher Scerri, a 46-year- old man from Qormi who has had various brushes with the law so much so that he was released on bail in connection with a mur- der case, was initially handed a seven-year prison-term. He was handed two years for his involvement in the burglary in which around €11,000 in cash and €4,000 worth of jewellery were stolen from the home of an elderly couple who were robbed while attending mass. Another two years were imposed for a pre- vious suspended sentence, one year for another suspended sen- tence and two years for breach- ing the terms of a conditional discharge. Yet, for a second time, Scerri had his sentence annulled, as an Appeals Court declared that the case was to be reheard before a Magistrates' Court. In its deliberations on the ad- equate punishment to be meted out, the Court presided over by Magistrate Ann Marie Thake held that it 'could not ignore the fact that this case has been pend- ing for almost fifteen years and concerns an offence committed in 2009'. Reference was also made to the progress made by Scerri in his drug rehabilitation programme, with the Court holding that it would be unjust to inflict a pun- ishment ignoring the fact that Scerri has used the past years to try and better his life. Simultaneously, the gravity of the crime and its serious reper- cussions had to be considered. Scerri was sentenced to an ef- fective prison-term of one year and a half. The prosecution was led by As- sistant Commissioner Keith Ar- naud and Inspector Fabian Fleri. Lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri appeared for Scerri. THOMAS CILIA tcilia@mediatoday.com.mt THERE was no full breakdown of costs for the 2022 Malta Film Week and awards, an official from the National Audit Office told MPs on Tuesday. The official was giving a pres- entation of the NAO's findings to parliament's Public Accounts Committee, which is probing the audit report on the Film Com- mission concluded last year. The NAO report covers the period between 2018 and 2022 and includes a specific focus on the Malta Film Week and lavish Film Awards held at the start of 2022. The audit had been planned in 2022 by the NAO but the office subsequently received two sepa- rate requests – one from Arnold Cassola and one from Opposi- tion members on the PAC – to investigate the Film Commis- sion on various counts. The NAO official said the au- dit confirmed the findings of two reports the Film Commis- sion had drawn up to quantify the impact of the cash rebate scheme on the economy. The NAO review confirmed the prin- cipal positive economic impacts of the 40% cash rebate scheme, finding no reason to dispute the conclusions of the commission's own findings. But the NAO report was less glowing on the 2022 Malta Film Week and awards events, which were characterised by a lack of transparency. "The lack of documentation and absence of financial state- ments meant we had difficulty to conclusively determine the com- pleteness of costs incurred," the NAO official said. The film week and awards ceremony cost €1.3 million, an expense that does not take into account the value of bartering agreements. The expenditure was financed through a €400,000 budget al- location, sponsorship from the Malta Tourism Authority to the tune of €500,000, a contri- bution of €330,000 from Malta Film Studios, an offshoot of the Film Commission, and almost €100,000 in sponsorships from private companies. Asked about the sponsorship money, the NAO official said there were no contracts or agree- ments in place the office could review to evaluate the arrange- ments. "This was a problem we faced... the lack of documenta- tion prevented us from determin- ing the costs of the event," the of- ficial said, adding no breakdown of costs was presented. The lack of documentation held by the Film Commission, lack of established goals prior to the event and no key performance indicators it was difficult for the NAO to reach any conclu- sion whether the film week and awards were value for money. The NAO official replied in the negative when asked by Parlia- mentary Secretary Andy Ellul, a member of the PAC, whether the NAO engaged any experts in the film industry to quantify the return on investment of such an event that saw popular people giving Malta publicity on social media. "We did not engage experts but we asked whether this work was done by the Film Commission. The onus was on the commission to quantify the impact of its own event," the official replied. The official also noted that the funds contributed by Malta Film Studios were not diverted from other projects. "We found no ev- idence that the funds from Mal- ta Film Studios were taken away from other projects." The official also noted that the commission had taken up its recommendations in subsequent years when it organised the Med- iterrane Film Festival. The PAC will continue discuss- ing the NAO findings on Tuesday 4 February when the NAO is ex- pected to conclude its presenta- tion. In subsequent sessions, the PAC will call up witnesses to be questioned about various aspects amenating from the report. The PAC is chaired by Oppo- sition MP Darren Carabott. It is the only parliamentary commit- tee chaired by the Opposition. Its members include Opposition MPs Graham Bencini and Clau- dette Pace, apart from Carabott, and government MPs Andy Ellul, Glenn Bedingfield, Amanda Spi- teri Grech and Alex Muscat. The Malta Film Awards in 2022 formed part of the Malta Film Week, held just a few weeks before the general election (File Photo)