Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1539053
THE alleged victim in the Paola shooting case involving Melvin Debono, better known as il-Quws, refused to testify in court on Tues- day, invoking his right to silence out of fear of self-incrimination. Debono, 34, stands charged with discharging a weapon in public, unlawful possession and procure- ment of a firearm, property dam- age, threats, insults, and inducing fear of violence. Additional charg- es include cocaine possession, misuse of electronics, disturbing the peace, breaches of bail, and recidivism. The case stems from an incident on 17 August in Melita Street, Paola, where a dispute over mon- ey escalated into a violent con- frontation. The victim had gone to Debono's residence, where il- Quws allegedly emerged with a pistol and fired several shots into the air. No one was injured, but the man reported the incident to police shortly afterwards, ac- companied by his partner, who filmed the events on her phone and handed the footage over to investigators. By the time police arrived, Debono had already been detained inside a Rapid Interven- tion Unit vehicle. CONTINUES ON PAGES 3 WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT WEDNESDAY EDITION €1.00 WEDNESDAY • 3 SEPTEMBER 2025 • ISSUE 956 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY Maghtab recycling plant will process 70,000 tonnes of waste yearly by 2030 A facility to process recy- clable waste being proposed in Magħtab will handle about 70,000 tonnes of waste annu- ally by 2030, according to pro- jections based on population growth. The information comes from the environment impact assess- ment (EIA) for the facility that has just been issued for public consultation. The study forecasts an in- crease of 3.7kg of recyclable waste per person, and an es- timated population growth of 33,500 people by 2030. The overall figure also as- sumes that half of the recyclable content currently disposed of in black bags will instead be sepa- rated at source and the Bever- age Container Refund Scheme (BCRS) will continue reducing the number of mixed plastics and bottles entering the waste stream. The materials recovery facility (MRF), as it is referred to in of- ficial terminology, will be built at the ECOHIVE complex in Magħtab, which is home to oth- er major projects that have yet to materialise. JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt CONTINUES ON PAGES 6-7 File photo Paola shooting victim refuses to testify JULIA DOWLING jdowling@mediatoday.com.mt Melvin Debono, 34, stands charged with discharging a weapon in public, unlawful possession and procurement of a firearm, property damage, threats, insults, and inducing fear of violence.