Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/472423
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 4 MARCH 2015 4 EIGHT members from the Naxxar Peace Band club committee have been cleared of storing explosive material in the club's basement, after a magistrate heard that none of them knew the fireworks were kept there. Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Her- rera said none of the eight mem- bers had access to the basement where the explosives were found in a hidden room behind a cup- board, and none was involved in organising fireworks for the vil- lage feast. Club president Carmel Grech, secretary Victor Gauci, youth director Louis Bugeja, assist- ant secretary Edward Azzopardi, women's section director Mary Chetcuti, band delegate Anthony Cauchi, treasurer Joseph Martin Camilleri and NGO coordinator Raymond Chetcuti were cleared of the charges. The eight committee members issued a statement to police and chose not to testif y, saying only that they were unaware that the explosives were stored in the base- ment of the band club. Another three committee mem- bers, Ivan Gauci, David Sammut and Joseph Buhagiar, have charges still pending against them. Club administrator Mark Agius was charged separately and jailed for two years. His appeal is pending. The raid on the Peace Band club followed the death of two people in an explosion in March 2008 in Triq Hal Dghejf in Naxxar, be- lieved to have been caused by vic- tim Paul Camilleri, 47, who had stored fireworks at home. Neigh- bour Sina Sammut, a 35-year-old mother of two, also died in the explosion. Police raided the band club in May 2008, when, during a search in the basement police found a room hidden behind a cupboard, that contained boxes filled with explosives. Investigations showed that David Sammut had a key to the basement and Ivan Gauci, Buhagiar and Ag- ius had copies. No link was found between the explosives and the March blast. Police inspector Nicolai Sant told the court that victim Paul Camill- eri was not involved in making fireworks for the feast, and did not rule out that Camilleri may have been manufacturing fireworks to use in case the Labour Part y won the 8 March, 2008 general elec- tions – held four days before the blast. News ELECTORAL COMMISSION NATIONAL REFERENDUM AND LOCAL COUNCIL ELECTIONS - 2015 The Electoral Commission notifies that:- Sealed quotations will be received either via email on electoral.office@gov.mt or by hand in the tender box at the Electoral Office, Evans Building, Merchants Street, Valletta, VLT 2000 up to 10.00 a.m. of Friday, 6 th March, 2015, for: Quot. No. 6/2015 Conveyance of boxes and persons from Polling Places in Malta to the Counting Hall in Naxxar on Saturday 11th April, 2015, from 9.45 p.m; Quot. No. 7/2015 Conveyance of boxes and persons from Polling Places in Malta to the Counting Hall in Naxxar on Saturday 11th April, 2015, from 9.45 p.m; Quot. No. 8/2015 Conveyance of boxes and persons from Polling Places i n Malta to the Counting Hall in Naxxar on Saturday 11th April, 2015, from 9.45 p.m; Quot. No. 9/2015 Conveyance of boxes and persons from Polling Places in Malta to the Counting Hall in Naxxar on Saturday 11th April, 2015, from 9.45 p.m; Quot. No. 10/2015 Conveyance of boxes and persons from Polling Places in Malta to the Counting Hall in Naxxar on Saturday 11th April, 2015, from 9.45 p.m; Quot. No. 11/2015 Conveyance of boxes and persons from Polling Places in Malta to the Counting Hall in Naxxar on Saturday 11th April, 2015, from 9.45 p.m; Quot. No. 12/2015 Conveyance of boxes and persons from Polling Places in Gozo to the Counting Hall in Naxxar on Thursday 9th and Saturday 11th April, 2015, from 9.45 p.m; Quot. No. 13/2015 Gozo – various transport on Saturday 11th April, 2015; Quot. No. 14/2015 Conveyance of boxes and persons from Polling Places in Malta (Hospitals) to the Counting Hall in Naxxar on Saturday 4th and Thursday 9th April, 2015, from 9.45 p.m; Quot. No.15/2015 Transport of election material from Marsa to Polling Places on Friday 3rd, Wednesday 8th, Thursday 9th and Friday 10th April, 2015; Quot. No.16/2015 Provision of chauffeur-driven cars from Friday 10th to Sunday 12th April, 2015 and during the counting process; Quot. No. 17/2015 Provision of chauffeur-driven cars from Monday 6th up till Thurs- day 9th April, 2015; Quot. No. 18/2015 Provision of various transport of persons between Sunday 29th March and Friday 10th April, 2015. Quotations can be either downloaded from the website www.electoral.gov.mt or collected from the Electoral Office, Evans Building, Merchants Street, Valletta, VLT 2000, (telephone number 2558 3116) from 8.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. Naxxar band club committee acquitted of illegal storage of explosives 'Government refusing to provide information to Parliament' – PN TIM DIACONO THE Nationalist Part y accused the government of repeatedly fail- ing to provide information to Par- liament when requested to do so. "Yesterday the Prime Minister refused to divulge the names of persons selected by government to sit on selection boards for pro- motions and appointments in public entities," the PN said in a statement on Tuesday. "In a re- ply given to parliamentary ques- tion 14468 in February, the Prime Minister had informed the House that these names were forwarded to the Public Service Commission which in turn approved them. "However, when pressed by Op- position Deput y leader Mario de Marco to publish these names by means of parliamentary question number 14768, the Prime Minis- ter yesterday replied that this list will not be made public." The PN pointed out that Labour called on the government to stick to its pre-electoral promises of transparency and meritocracy and to publish the names of people who sit on such selection boards. "This government is persist- ing in its strategy of keeping in- formation under wraps," the PN said. "The House of Representa- tives is the highest institution of the country. It is there to keep a check on government and should be assisted and not hindered by government in carrying out this important dut y. By repeatedly failing to provide Parliament with information, government is im- peding the representatives of the people to carry out their role ef- fectively." Portelli questions 'commercial' nature of Enemalta worker list During the same parliamentary session on Tuesday, shadow en- ergy minister Marthese Portelli challenged Energy Minister Kon- rad Mizzi to explain why her re- quest for the number of workers that Enemalta requires to operate has been turned down. In response to a parliamen- tary question by Portelli, Health Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne, speaking in Mizzi 's ab- sence, said that he couldn't dis- close such information as it "has commercial value to Enemalta and its disclosure can prejudice its business operations". "All I'm after is a number," Portelli said. "The truth is that Konrad Mizzi has a record of not answering my questions, so I challenge him to tell me why the information I'm after is so com- mercially sensitive." In a separate question, Portelli asked Mizzi why not all the En- emalta workers within the Engi- neering Resources Ltd were of- fered temporary redeployment to the Environmental Monitoring Services. In his response, Mizzi said that Engineering Resources Ltd em- ployees get transferred after fil- ing a request or after accepting a transfer that is offered to them according to their skills. Portelli challenged Mizzi to ex- plain who offers new jobs to En- gineering Resources workers and who assesses their skills before- hand. Illegally stored explosives being removed Download the MaltaToday App now