Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1539741
JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt 2 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 24 SEPTEMBER 2025 NEWS CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 An ambulance arrived on the scene, provided medical atten- tion, and transported him to Mater Dei Hospital. He told the police on site that "Salvu", who lives in the same building had shot him. His son, Jonathan Mangion, inquired about what had hap- pened and, with his assistance, the police approached Salvi- no and subsequently arrested him. The validity of arrest was not contested by the defence. In court, it was revealed that the victim of the shooting had been found guilty of stealing from Mangion two years prior. The prosecution confirmed this fact but stated that it was not relevant at arrest stage. A protection order was re- quested and granted in favour of Mifsud's family members. No request for bail was made by the defence. The prosecution was led by Attorney General lawyer Kay- lie Bonett together with In- spectors Stephen Gulia, Keith Rizzo and Francesca Maria Calleja. Defence lawyers Franco Debono and Adreana Zammit appeared for the man. Magis- trate Abigail Critien presided over the sitting. Lawyer Nicholas Mifsud ap- peared for the victim's family. Victim of the shooting previously convicted of stealing from the accused Planning Authority postpones decision on 13-floor development in Xlendi OBJECTORS to the proposed 13-storey development in Xlendi were left fuming after chairper- son Elizabeth Ellul postponed the meeting because applicant and developer Mark Agius, a business partner of Joseph Portelli, was unable to attend. The decision was deferred to 4 November. Ellul said it is standard proce- dure for meetings to be post- poned when either the applicant or their architect is unable to at- tend. The project was being recom- mended for approval by the the PA' Development Management Directorate. The postponement comes amidst controversy over PN lead- er Alex Borg's declaration in an interview on Friday, in which he suggested that he is not against towers being considered in cer- tain areas in Gozo if allowed by a national skyline policy. Prime Minister Robert Abela and Plan- ning Minister Clint Camilleri condemned Borg's declaration, rebutting that current policies preclude the development of towers in Gozo. Borg subse- quently recanted on Monday, insisting that he is against the development of towers in Gozo. Daniel Cilia, on behalf of Din l-Art Ħelwa Gozo, expressed his frustration, asking why the deci- sion was postponed when Mark Agius' architect, Alex Bigeni, was present. Ellul replied that she was following standard procedure. Cilia also questioned why the developer had not joined the meeting online. Alluding to the current political controversy, Cilia added: "Are not both parties against towers in Gozo?" He also called on the Authority to obtain clearance from Trans- port Malta before meeting again in November, noting the traffic impact of a development of this scale. Ellul rebutted that since the de- cision was being deferred, she did not want to discuss the merits of the case. Another objector lamented having to travel from Sicily to be physically present for the meet- ing. The application seeks permis- sion for phase two of a project following demolition and exca- vation approved four years ago. The proposal includes 46 resi- dential units and a 180 sq.m con- venience store spread across 13 levels. The site is within the develop- ment limits of Xlendi, fronting both Triq San Xmun and Triq il-Punici, which differ in eleva- tion by roughly 16 metres. The planning officer's report recom- mending approval notes that the sloping nature of the site allows the development to comply with relative height limits when meas- ured from both street levels. The report refers to policy P36 on sloping sites, which requires that new developments follow the natural topography of streets. The developer had originally proposed a hotel when applying for the demolition approved in 2021 but later changed plans to build an apartment block. The decision, which was scheduled for today amidst political controversy on Gozo towers, was postponed because applicant Mark Agius was indisposed. This comes just days after the Prime Minister claimed that current policies exclude towers in Gozo Visual of the proposed development as presented by developer's architect