MaltaToday previous editions

MW 16 April 2014

Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/296073

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 5 of 23

maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 16 APRIL 2014 News 6 CHRIS MANGION JEMILA Usman Nuru, an Ethiopian mother, was yesterday given a sus- pended jail term after she admitted to having absconded from Malta. The 26-year-old mother arrived in Malta from Libya, however her request for asylum was refused. She filed an appeal, but rather than waiting for the result, she fled to Italy, Denmark and eventually arrived in Sweden, where her fingerprints revealed that she had absconded from Malta. Swedish au- thorities returned Nuru to Malta. The court heard how the young mother was already pregnant when she ran away, and was not afraid to travel. Defence lawyer Alessandro Lia argued that the woman had a three- month old child and should be ex- empted from court proceedings as she was the sole breadwinner for herself and her child. Magistrate Anthony Vella ruled that being a mother does not exempt anyone from court proce- dures. He handed Nuru a six-month jail term suspended for two years. In a similar case, Syrian national Mohamad Wakki was handed a sus- pended sentence after pleading guilty of travelling without valid documents. Wakki had arrived in Malta on a boat, and his request for asylum was turned down. Together with his wife, he was placed under temporary hu- manitarian protection and subse- quently asked to travel to Sweden to avail himself of better benefits. How- ever when his request was refused, he packed up and travelled to Sweden without documents. Swedish immigration police appre- hended the 34-year old migrant when he arrived in Sweden without a pass- port or any valid travelling documents. The man refused to give his details to the police but following a fingerprint scan, he was returned to Malta. Magistrate Anthony Vella handed the accused a six-month jail term sus- pended for two years. Inspector Darren Buhagiar pros- ecuted. PRESIDENT of the Republic Marie Louise Coleiro Preca has expressed concern over migrant workers in Gozi- tan agriculture, whom she says have "nobody to care for them". She expressed this concern during a meeting yesterday with Apostolic Nun- cio Mgr Aldo Cavalli, saying she had brought up the issue with Gozo Bishop Mario Grech. "The number of asylum seekers in Gozo appears to be increasing and the Gozo Bishop confirmed he had com- missioned a report to have a better un- derstanding of the situation," Coleiro Preca said. "Migrants are seeking Gozo for work and we should know who is really tak- ing care of their needs. There are no open centres or shelters to give them the necessary support." She expressed her wish to further the collaboration with the Gozo diocese in any way that the Presidency could help. Urging the Apostolic Nuncio that the Church, even at EU level, must voice Malta's call for support, Coleiro Preca said both the International Organisa- tion for Migration (IOM) and the UN- HCR have acknowledged Malta's reality as "a special case". "With reportedly hundreds of thou- sands waiting to flee countries of con- flict, now is the time to prepare our- selves. IOM and UNHCR are bringing forward our case and the Church can help us too." Acknowledging the different reali- ties that existed, Mgr Cavalli said the Church and the State had to collaborate together "because these are poor men, poor women and poor children who need us". "It is indeed a reality that thousands are moving to different countries... Thousands to Italy and thousands to Bulgaria seeking work. What can we do? The European Union will discuss The Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) is launching traineeship schemes aimed at different sectors of the labour market. The traineeships are intended to provide Jobseekers with initial vocational (pre-employment) WUDLQLQJWKDWKHOSVWKHPDWWDLQWKHNQRZOHGJHVNLOOVDQGFRPSHWHQFHVUHTXLUHGWR¿QGDQG secure a job. Traineeships are welcomed by Employers because Jobseekers receive both theoretical training and practical work experience 'on the job'. Employers, thereby, have an opportunity to train and evaluate a trainee before actual formal employment. ETC will pay a training allowance to both the Trainee and the Employer for the duration of the programme. Employers participating in this scheme should not themselves incur any costs. Traineeships are now being made available in the following areas: Operational Programme II – Cohesion Policy 2007-2013 Empowering People for More Jobs and a Better Quality of Life 3URMHFWSDUW¿QDQFHGE\WKH(XURSHDQ8QLRQ European Social Fund (ESF) &R¿QDQFLQJUDWH(8)XQGV1DWLRQDO)XQGV Investing in your future Sales techniques and customer care 2I¿FHSURFHGXUHV Maintenance work Cleaning Interested persons – both Employers and Jobseekers – may download an application form from the ETC website www.etc.gov.mt. Detailed information on training allowances, eligibility criteria, duration of the programmes, and expected outcome can also be found on the website. More information may be obtained from Mario Magri by phoning on 2220 1609 or by sending an email to mario.a.magri@gov.mt. Applications will be accepted until Wednesday 30th April 2014. $FFHSWDQFHVZLOOEHLVVXHGRQD¿UVWFRPH¿UVWVHUYHGEDVLV LAUNCHING OF TRAINEESHIP SCHEMES Seventh man arraigned over tampered meters scandal CHRIS MANGION ANTHONY Pace, 43, of Mosta, is the seventh man arraigned in con- nection with the Enemalta smart meters scandal. Pace was charged with accept- ing bribes and defrauding Enemalta through the installation of smart me- ters that were tampered with in order to register reduced consumption. Inspectors Roderick and Daniel Zammit told the court that Pace had already been spoken to by the police in the previous months, but now in- vestigators had enough evidence to prosecute him. Defence lawyer Arthur Azzopardi requested bail, arguing that in pro- ceedings related to the same case the accused were granted bail. "The prosecution was opposing bail be- cause the scheme exempting wit- nesses from being prosecuted against was still running. "The scheme is not available any- more, so the fear of approaching potential witnesses no longer exists. Furthermore, Pace has been on po- lice bail for about two months and the police never received any com- plaints that he approached anyone in connection with the case", the lawyer said. The court also heard how the ac- cused has never travelled and does not have a passport. "His wife and three children are in Malta; there is no fear that he could abscond," the defence argued. Prosecuting Inspector Daniel Zammit informed the court that, as happened in other related cases, the investigators were not opposing bail, now that the scheme was closed. "Witnesses have come forward and we have gathered enough evidence to prosecute Pace. We do not believe there is a risk that he will abscond, hence are not opposing bail," the in- spector said. Magistrate Anthony Vella granted the accused bail against a deposit of €1,500 and a personal guarantee of €8,500 – the same bail conditions Magistrate Carol Peralta applied to another three accused earlier this week. Inspectors Daniel and Roderick Zammit prosecuted. Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Kathleen Grima ap- peared for the accused. Since February, three men have pleaded guilty to charges in connec- tion with the Enemalta tampered meter scandal. All three were jailed for two years and handed a general perpetual interdiction. Four others, including the accused, have been granted bail, while 10 other employ- ees are suspended from office as the investigations continue. Coleiro Preca offers Presidency's support to help migrants in Gozo President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca meets Apostolic Nuncio Mgr Aldo Cavalli Migrants deported to Malta, get suspended sentence

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of MaltaToday previous editions - MW 16 April 2014