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WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT WEDNESDAY EDITION €1.00 WEDNESDAY • 26 FEBRUARY 2025 • ISSUE 929 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY AFM drug heist PM defends Byron Camilleri, Opposition leader insists he must resign AFM drug heist For the second day running, a parliamentary sitting descends into chaos as emotions run high during a ministerial statement by the Prime Minister on a drug heist from an AFM compound PAGE 3 Nation-wide police hunt leads to arrest of eight individuals Police operation at Ħaż-Żebbuġ, Ħaż-Żabbar, Pietà, San Gwann, Qormi and Marsa leads to arrest of eight individuals suspected of involvement in heist • 85kg of stolen cannabis resin recovered by police Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà (centre) addressing the crime conference (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday) A police operation throughout Tuesday led to the arrest of eight in- dividuals over the theft of 226kg of cannabis resin being held at an Armed Forces of Malta property. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday evening, Police Commis- sioner Angelo Gafà said the police operation was launched at 1am today. The first arrests hap- pened at a Ħaż-Żebbuġ apartment, with four in- dividuals currently being held in police custody. 36kg of cannabis resin was found in a vehicle belonging to the individ- uals. 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. Home affairs minister Byron Camilleri KARL AZZOPARDI & JULIANA ZAMMIT kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt 4 NEWS 4 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 12 FEBRUARY 2025 MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt JULIANA ZAMMIT jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt NGO Il-Kollettiv has joined a growing list of voices calling for widespread parliamentary re- form. The NGO is endorsing pro- posals for parliamentary re- form put forward by Partit Mo- mentum and the Chamber of Commerce. "Whilst acknowledging the need for at least a third polit- ical representation in Parlia- ment, we agree in principle with both a reduction in MPs and the number of electoral districts," il-Kollettiv President Jeanette Borg said. These proposals come in the wake of recent suggestions by the Malta Chamber of Com- merce to reduce the number of MPs from 79 to 45 and de- crease the number of electoral districts from 13 to five. Party Momentum has proposed a system where Gozo elects five MPs while four regions in Malta elect 10 MPs each. Borg highlighted the rationale behind supporting these chang- es, stating, "the current state of affairs allows politicians a huge control over their electoral dis- tricts, often drowning out the voices and sentiments of the electorate itself." They pointed out that the cul- ture of nepotism is a result of the fragmentation of regions and towns into electoral dis- tricts while "political patronage has contributed to the ruin of their identities." The NGO stated that they agree with the Chamber of Commerce's proposal for full- time politicians with fair re- muneration "We believe this should be accompanied by similar standards for CEOs of various government agencies." The group also called for the removal of "positions of trust" and a reform of the gender quota system. "It is positive to see that many are understanding the need for serious reform at the high- est level. The country cannot expect to be led in a serious manner as long as the ruling political class remains unac- countable and above public scrutiny," Borg concluded. Kollettiv calls for parliamentary reform, says current system drowns out electorate's voice LABOUR Party President Alex Sciberras has distanced the party from the recent antics of former PL TV host Karl Stagno Navarra, insisting he is "acting on his own initiative". Sciberras was fielding journal- ists' questions alongside PL CEO Leonid McKay following a press conference on Tuesday. Sciberras stressed that hate has no place in politics. Stagno Navarra recently made headlines after he approached former PN MP Jason Azzopardi outside his Sliema apartment and hounded him over his now-re- voked reserved parking space. The parking space had been allot- ted to Azzopardi after the police requested it for security purposes. The confrontation followed vide- os that Stagno Navarra uploaded to Facebook of Azzopardi's car with number plate in full view. MaltaToday asked Sciberras and McKay whether Stagno Navarra's actions were representative of the PL. Sciberras first responded by echoing earlier statements made by Prime Minister Robert Abela, who had stated that he does not get involved with journalists' af- fairs. "What Karl Stagno Navarra is doing is out of his own initia- tive," Sciberras clarified. The PL president then empha- sised that he believes in a form of politics that addresses the needs and concerns of the Maltese peo- ple. "It's in nobody's interest to let hate fester among people," adding that this form of politics is attrib- uted to the PN. Sciberras echoed a Facebook comment he had written under Stagno Navarra's post a few days ago. Addressing an opinion poll, he warned that "if the PL becomes haughty, it will lose its soul com- pletely." "We should never become cruel like others who have nothing to offer. Only Malta will lose should we do that," Sciberras had told Stagno Navarra. When asked whether Stagno Navarra's actions sow hatred, Sci- berras said that he is asking legit- imate questions about abuse from Jason Azzopardi's end. However, he stressed that what he is inter- ested in is to be close to the peo- ple, and emphasised that in such a small country like Malta, "hate does no good to anyone." Sciberras also weighed in on recent attempts to ban Stagno Navarra's Facebook page, under- lining that he believes in freedom of expression. Meanwhile, party CEO Leonid McKay referenced allegations the former propagandist is making in relation to the PN, as he invited this media house to inquire about those allegations. Stagno Navarra has claimed that the PN failed to transfer 15 years worth of national insurance con- tributions to the Social Security despite these having been deduct- ed from his pay when he worked as a journalist with the party's media company. This, he said, left him with missing NI contributions. Labour distances itself from Karl Stagno Navarra: 'He is acting on his own initiative' PL President Alex Sciberras and PL CEO Leonid McKay were fielding journalists' questions on Tuesday. Inset is Karl Stagno Navarra in the Sliema car park where he confronted Jason Azzopardi