Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/459448
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 8 FEBRUARY 2015 7 MIRIAM DALLI GUNSHOTS were heard on Fri- day at 9.20pm in Triq Anton Manuel Caruana, Iklin, close to the office-ga- rage of lawyer Jonathan Abela. The shooting reportedly occurred after the alleged shooter, identified as Christopher Schembri, demanded an explanation from a man who had al- legedly given him stolen cheques. The issue started after Schembri, a fuel distributor, received some cheques which he used to pay AC Fuels Ltd, a fuel-importing company. MaltaToday was told that the cheques bounced when the fuel importers tried to cash them. It eventually re- sulted that Schembri could have been given stolen cheques. Abela, representing his clients, called Schembri to his office request- ing an explanation over the bounced cheques, which showed a mobile number, and a third party was called in at the lawyer's office. The sources claimed that the man admitted that the cheques had been "stolen from his parents" and he re- portedly urged the involved parties to resolve the matters quietly, fearing repercussions for his actions. Moving out of the lawyer's office and into the driveway, Schembri, who is being arraigned today, and the man allegedly continued arguing when a shot was fired. Two other shots were fired in the air, the sources said. Other sources however told Mal- taToday that the gunman fled the of- fice, before returning soon after with a silver pistol in his hand. He allegedly fired a shot and threatened the people in Abela's office. As the gunman made to leave the office, one of the people in the same office tried to grab the pistol out of his hands but failed. The gunman left the office, fired two more shots, and escaped the scene. Although the people present at the scene were shocked as the events unfolded, none of them suffered any injuries. District Police, Rapid Intervention Police and police from the Depart- ment of Criminal Investigations were quick to arrive on the scene. They conducted a search for the al- leged gunman, as well as an intensive search for any bullets or marks where the three shots had hit. After finding nothing, they concluded that the 'fire- arm' could have been one that simply fires blanks. Abela was quoted as saying that he had nothing to do with the argument and that he or his clients weren't the gunman's target. News Shooting at Iklin over stolen cheques – shots probably blanks HEAD (OPERATIONAL PROGRAMME) Applications are invited for the positions of Head (Operational Programme) in the Ministry for European Affairs and Implementation of the Electoral Manifesto. Applications together with a detailed CV will be received at the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry for European Affairs and Implementation of the Electoral Manifesto, Tal-Pilar, 31B, Triq Marsamxett, Valletta, VLT 1850 or submitted through the Online Government Recruitment Portal on http://recruitment.gov.mt by not later than noon of Friday 13 February 2015. Further details may be obtained from the Government Gazette of 23 January 2015. Application forms may be downloaded from: https://opm.gov.mt/en/PAHRO/RESOURCING/Documents/Forms%20and%20Templates/recruitenglish.pdf Some of the positions being advertised through this call for applications are co-financed by the European Union Accused priest solicits adverts for religious magazine TIM DIACONO FR Charles Fenech, the Dominican friar charged with sexually assaulting a mentally unstable patient, is solic- iting people for adverts in the Febru- ary issue of a religious magazine. The magazine in question, Xandar il-Kelma, is published by the Mal- tese Dominican Province. An e-mail written by Fenech and seen by Mal- taToday reads: "I am forwarding to you this attachment for advertising in a special edition of XK Maga- zine, Malta's No 1 religious maga- zine distributed in households. Can you please help us by confirming an advert. Thanks, Fr. Charles Fenech OP." The attachment is a poster of Pope Francis, with the words Xandar il- Kelma: The No. 1 Religious Maga- zine in Malta: 70,000 copies' super- imposed over it. The poster includes the advertising rates and a message from Fenech, editor-in-chief of the magazine. "Outside Western Europe, a lot of people still believe in God," Fenech's message reads. "Here, we tend to re- gard religion as passé – something they did centuries ago, when unen- lightened Europeans took the advice of burning bushes. But out beyond the EU, millions of people stub- bornly continue to put their faith in the Almighty. The West may enjoy comparative power and wealth, but our attachment to secular liberalism is a minority opinion". However, Dominican Provincial Fr Frans Micallef told MaltaToday that there was nothing inappropri- ate with Fenech's solicitations for adverts, despite the court case that is hanging over his head. Fenech, who founded the Kerygma movement, is facing charges of sexu- al abuse against a mentally unstable patient, holding the woman against her will and committing indecent acts in public. One of Fenech's victims testified in court that the friar had "targeted vulnerable women" and that she knew of at least 15 other women who claim to have fallen for Fenech's advances. An alleged victim who spoke to MaltaToday claimed she was offered a "hefty sum" by Archbishop Emeri- tus Paul Cremona to remain silent – an allegation strongly denied by the Curia. The case was brought before the Church's Response Team when Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Mer- cieca was at the helm of the Maltese archdiocese, with internal investi- gations continuing when Cremona, who like Fenech is a Dominican friar, was appointed Archbishop in 2007. Despite knowing of the allegations, Fenech was not removed from his position as director of the Kerygma Movement. The case will continue next month, but Fenech has already been re- moved from his post as Kerygma director and prohibited from admin- istering the sacraments. The area where shots were fired – photo by John Pisani Gunman being arraigned in court today Fr Charles Fenech