Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/283655
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 26 MARCH 2014 3 PAGE 1 Kicking off the debate, Mario de Marco (PN) took umbrage at the government's stand against the Op- position: "There is a growing atti- tude that whenever the Opposition proposes or criticises, the govern- ment retaliates by accusing us of be- ing destructive." De Marco said that despite a number of proposals were put for- ward by the Nationalist Party, none of the amendments were taken on board. "The law was passed as the govern- ment wanted it without any amend- ments," de Marco said. The deputy leader said the crux of the argument was about a genuine link, one did not take the form of a cash transaction. He said that what irked the Maltese most was the per- ception given on an international scale of a country that was bank- rupt. "We don't need a bailout. But this is the impression given and the Mal- tese, irrespective of whether they are Labourites or Nationalists, felt of- fended," he said. In an impassioned speech, parlia- mentary secretary for justice Owen Bonnici said the government had been able to make use of an oppor- tunity to change the country for the better. "Faced by opportunities, some ask 'why?' and we ask 'why not?' It is an historic opportunity to create a fund that will finance projects to improve people's lives. This is an agreement which enjoys the EU's green light," Bonnici said. He reiterated that the an applicant had to prove he had been residing in Malta for 12 months before the citi- zenship is granted – a concept which according to the Opposition was not adequately reflected in the legal no- tice. It remains unclear as to what "ef- fective residency" means – other than the applicant must purchase a residence in Malta. Bonnici added that once the Eu- ropean Commission approved the scheme, it also didn't make sense to leave the capping. He however hit out at Opposition leader Simon Bu- suttil, arguing that "nothing satisfies him". He went on to urge the PN to re- peal their motion: "People will not forget how you turned against Malta. But now you have the opportunity to send the message that this parlia- ment is united in making this pro- gramme a success. "Because this programme will be a success and it will be the citizens who will benefit from it." Dubbing it the "citizenship scheme v5", PN MP Francis Zammit Dimech said that the agreement reached be- tween Malta and the EU had been different than what was originally proposed in November. He went through the various changes that the scheme underwent in a matter of weeks, Zammit Di- mech said these changes proved that the government itself couldn't agree on the matter. On his part, parliamentary sec- retary for competitiveness Edward Zammit Lewis hailed the IIP as "a programme that we should boast about". He admitted that the matter could have been handled better from the start. Taking the floor, author of the mo- tion Jason Azzopardi raised ques- tions on the role which Henley and Partners will be playing in the pro- gramme, also questioning what would happen if the concessionaries were to "flee with the cash" or if it goes bankrupt. Azzopardi also questioned how Identity Malta Agency and IIP Malta were situated in the same building – at Dar il-Mediterran – if Henley and Partners had truly lost their exclu- sivity over the programme. "How fair is it if the two entities are situated in the same building?" Az- zopardi said. The Opposition is also proposing that the legal notice removes refer- ences to the concessionaire – H&P – as this meant that Henley was in- volved at every stage of the process including the presentation of appli- cations by other concessionaires. "Henley and Partners is a referee and a player at the same time. It has an obvious advantage over other competitors, including Identity Mal- ta," Azzopardi said. The MP expressed concern over the discretion granted to the minis- ter to allow citizenship to applicants who had a criminal record: "It's even more serious that a criminal or a threat to national security, or harm- ful to Malta's image, can nonetheless be given citizenship." But what shocked Azzopardi more was that HP could keep Malta's mon- ey for up to two years without an es- crow account. News 'This will be a success and the citizens will benefit from it' - Bonnici Police handed last messages penned by Tanti, Zahra PAGE 1 Police have also established which pharmacy in Valletta Tanti is believed to have purchased a substantial amount of aspirin tab- lets. In the whereabouts of Dingli, police say they found a bottle of whisky in Tanti 's car that suggests the two drank and took aspirin before the tragic incident. Zahra's family have also said that it was Tanti who drove his car to Dingli, with Zahra as his pas- senger. The two persons were found on 19 March, after Tanti – whose fall was interrupted – managed to alert passers-by to his predicament. He was found suffering grievous inju- ries, and sent to Mater Dei 's ITU where was in critical condition. Education minister Evarist Bar- tolo has said that the Council for the Teaching Profession, the body tasked with investigating com- plaints of misconduct by teachers, was "obliged " to investigate Tanti over any alleged breach of ethics over his relationship with the 15- year-old pupil. "Upon the conclusion of the po- lice investigation, the Council for the Teaching Profession not only has the right but also the dut y to investigate any complaint of gross negligence or breach of ethics," Evarist Bartolo told MaltaToday on the case. Tanti, who was pursuing a thea- tre studies degree at the Univer- sit y of Malta until 2013, had been a drama tutor for the Masquerade theatre company since 2012, and was recently drafted in as a supply teacher at the St Michael 's Foun- dation, a private school, having worked there for the past three months. Tanti had been cleared by the au- thorities for teaching duties, pass- ing a police check and granted a temporary teacher's warrant as a supply drama teacher. Since the extent of Tanti 's and Zahra's friendship is unclear, and whether it was confined outside school limits, it is unclear as to whether the Council will be able to sanction Tanti over any ethical breach or misconduct as a teach- er. The teachers' code of ethics, es- tablished by the Council for the Teaching Profession, says teachers are dut y-bound and responsible to maintain a professional distance while in school and out of school. It also calls on teachers to avoid any inappropriate communication and relationships with students. Moreover, teachers are bound to 'have regard to the safet y of stu- dents under their responsibilit y'. The funeral of 15-year-old Lisa Maria Zahra, which was expected to be held Saturday in Valletta, was postponed on a magistrate's order. The court decided to postpone the funeral to ensure that all in- vestigations are concluded before her burial. The Zahra family claims that Tanti drove the teeanger to Din- gli, and have been emphatic about the teacher's negligence of his du- ties towards the vulnerable teen- ager. "The cruel realit y is that Lisa Maria Zahra was a vulnerable mi- nor at the age of 15, and Erin Tanti is a 23-year-old teacher with the relevant responsibilities that come with this role," the family said. "The tragic situation that de- veloped after Tanti drove Lisa Maria to Dingli is one which is still subject to ongoing police in- vestigations and prudence in any commentary, as well as the fam- ily's privacy in these difficult mo- ments, should be respected at this time." Appogg supportline Supportline 179 is the national helpline offering support, information about local social welfare services and other agencies, and a referral service to callers who requires support. Do call Supportline 179 for assistance on domestic violence, homelessness, suicidal tendencies, marital and/or family problems, loneliness, emotional difficulties, behavioural problems, depression and other mental health issues, human trafficking, substance abuse, gambling, amongst others; Supportline 179 is run by a team of professionally trained volunteers and receives calls on situations of child abuse, domestic violence, drug/ alcohol/gambling problems, amongst others. All calls received on the EU Emotional Support Helpline 116 123, are also dealt with by the Supportline 179 team. Helpline 116 123 offers emotional support to callers suffering from loneliness, those who find themselves in a state of psychological crises, and those who require emotional support due to various life situations they might be encountering. Ten-fold increase in hunting penalties PAGE 1 Law enforcement officials are now following other leads in their in- vestigation of the shooting of protect- ed storks on Sunday, 23 March. Government has appealed to mem- bers of the public who may have witnessed any incidents of illegal shooting to come forward with any information that may help the au- thorities in their investigations. Information may be reported to the police on telephone 112 or 119 as well as to Wild Birds Regulation Unit via email on wildbirds@gov.mt or on mob: 79496320. Any reports received will be treated in strictest confidence. In the wake of these recent inci- dents, the government issued a stark warning to anyone breaking the law. New legal amendments, announced on Monday, are expected to be brought into force over the coming days. Un- der these amendments, anyone found guilty of hunting or attempting to hunt, or taking or attempting to take any protected birds listed in Schedules I and IX of the Conservation of Wild Birds Regulations will, upon first con- viction, receive a penalty comprising of €5,000 fine, and/or imprisonment for one year, as well as permanent revocation of license and confiscation of any weapon or mechanism used in the poaching. In case of second or subsequent of- fence, the applicable penalty will go up to €10,000, confiscation, and/or imprisonment for two years. These measures represent a ten-fold increase in the presently applicable minimum fine for first time and sub- sequent offences. "Compliance will be strictly en- forced. Any breaches of regulations will lead to repercussions not only on the individuals concerned, but on the entire hunting community, and will put the rights of legal hunters to enjoy their season in jeopardy. "Should significant breaches occur, appropriate measures will be consid- ered," the government said. Owen Bonnici Lisa Maria Zahra