Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1532146
WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT WEDNESDAY EDITION €1.00 WEDNESDAY • 5 FEBRUARY 2025 • ISSUE 926 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Minister refuses to remove Alex Dalli from public post Byron Camilleri insists he removed Dalli from prison long before Ombudsman's report but defends choice to keep him on as envoy in Libya PAGE 3 Rents in Gozo up 6% since 2020 While rents in Malta rose by 3.4%, Gozo saw a 5.9% increase. However, rents in Gozo remain lower than on the mainland, at roughly half the levels in Sliema SINCE 2020, rental prices in Gozo have increased by an annual average of 5.9%, significantly outpacing the 3.4% rise observed in Malta. This trend indicates that while Gozo remains more affordable, rental prices have been gradually converging with those on the mainland. This trend emerges from a discus- sion paper on the residential rental market in Gozo issued by the Gozo Regional Authority and the Housing Authority. The study shows that the private rental market has grown significantly in recent years, with rental prices in- creasing at a faster rate than in Malta, despite remaining lower overall. PAGE 3 WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT WEDNESDAY EDITION €1.00 WEDNESDAY • 22 JANUARY 2025 • ISSUE 924 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY Variable interest rate of 2.80% * Low contribution Low collateral requirements *Business Lending Bank Base Rate presently at 2.15%, Interest Margin and EIF Guarantee Fee. The BOV SME Grow and the BOV SME Grow Green are funded by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund with the financial backing of the Republic of Malta under the InvestEU Member State Compartment for Malta. All loans are subject to normal bank lending criteria and final approval from the Bank. Issued by Bank of Valletta p.l.c., 58, Triq San Żakkarija, il-Belt Valletta, VLT 1130. Bank of Valletta p.l.c. is a public limited company regulated by the MFSA and is licenced to carry out the business of banking in terms of the Banking Act (Cap. 371 of the laws of Malta). Grow green BOV SME Supporting Your Vision CONTACT US JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Staircase, ramp and bathing platform in latest Vecca plans Veċċa project aimed at protecting cave and overlying road from collapse PAGE 5 Court rules that law allowing conversion of court expenses into jail, breaches human rights THE Constitutional Court has ruled that a legal provision giving the Court Reg- istrar unfettered discretion to convert court expenses into jail term breaches human rights. The landmark judgment was deliv- ered by Mr Justice Ian Spiteri Bailey in a case instituted by a prison inmate, who is serving a four-year jail term. Fernando Gonzalo-Noel Sanchez had filed proceedings in front of the First Hall of the Civil Court in its con- stitutional jurisdiction in 2023, chal- lenging the legal provision that allows unpaid court expenses to be translated into jail time. Sanchez had been sentenced to four years in prison in October 2022 after admitting to injuring several people and resisting arrest when under the influence of drugs. He had also been ordered to pay court expenses, which totalled €23,000 according to a bill drawn up by the Court Registrar. PAGE 5 A bathing platform, a staircase, and a ramp have been added to plans for the shoring up of the cliff-face at Għar Tal-Veċċa in St Paul's Bay. The project includes a revetment composed of boulders to protect the friable cliff-face from further coastal erosion and prevent the col- lapse of Triq Stella Maris. Stagno Navarra hounds Jason Azzopardi PAGES 4 - 5 Byron Camilleri