Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/587664
MATTHEW VELLA FORMER magistrate Carol Peralta, who re- tired from the bench in August 2015, has ap- peared once again in a list of Maltese freema- sons summoned to a meeting in France, raising questions as to whether he had ever severed his ties with masonic lodges during his time as a magistrate. In an email to members of the Sovereign Grand Lodge of Malta, which groups 10 sub- ordinate lodges, the 'Most Worshipful Grand Master' Benjamin Muscat – the owner of the Ta' Marija restaurant in Mosta – includes Per- alta among a group of freemasons travelling to Paris. Peralta is listed as Grand Registrar – namely the Grand Lodge's principal legal officer – and a role that is generally held by a qualified law- yer or judge. The email's sender, Grand Secretary Tony Cilia Pisani, sent out the message on 13 Octo- ber. But when contacted, Cilia Pisani claimed he was "no longer involved in it" – referring to the Grand Lodge of Malta, even though it was spe- cifically put to him that his email was inform- ing members of a meeting between the Maltese freemasons and the Grand Orient of France. Cilia Pisani refused to confirm whether Peral- ta had been a freemason before his retirement. MaltaToday was unable to get in telephonic contact with the former magistrate. In his email, Cilia Pisani informs members of an upcoming trip to Paris by Maltese freema- sons. "I am pleased to inform you that the MWGM Benjamin Muscat will be accompanied to Paris for the signing of the Masonic Treaty between the Grand Orient de France and the Grand Lodge of Malta with the following Brethren: "The Right Worshipful deputy grand master Brother Mario Vella Gatt, the Right Worshipful grand registrar Brother Carol Peralta, Brother Frank Galea, Brother Olvin Galea, [and] Broth- er Jonathan Pace." MaltaToday understands that Mario Vella Gatt is the owner of the Bacchus restaurant in Mdina, while both Olvin Galea and Jonathan Pace are businessmen. It is clear that if Carol Peralta held his role as a freemason during his tenure as magistrate, this would have been in breach of the ju- diciary's Code of Ethics, which expressly bans judges and magistrates from being freemasons. But it also confirms that since being outed as a freemason back in 1990, the magistrate has found it to hard to deny his involvement in freemasonry despite it being banned by the Code of Ethics for the judiciary. FIMBank p.l.c. is a licensed credit institution regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority and listed on the Malta Stock Exchange. The Bank is a participant in the Depositor Compensation Scheme in Malta. Terms and conditions apply. 2132 2102 helpdesk@easisave.com www.easisave.com 2132 2102 2132 2102 Easy, Flexible and Secure Visit our website, open your online bank account and start beneting from superior interest rates on your savings and xed term deposit accounts. 3 year: 2.50% 2 year: 2.00% 1 year: 1.85% Euro Fixed Term Deposit Minimum Deposit €1,000 Rates of interest are on a gross per annum basis Euro Savings Account Minimum Deposit €50 1.25 % No Hidden Fees or Bank Charges YOUR FIRST READ AND FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT maltatoday INTERVIEWED Kristy Debono Newspaper post €1.40 SUNDAY • 18 OCTOBER 2015 • ISSUE 832 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY Claire Ebejer's €3,000 cancer drugs are paid by her employer 'When it comes to planning and investment in infrastructure, I believe we are in a downward spiral' 15 14 Undiagnosed depression Over 67% of elderly in homes are suffering from depression 7 Mother's plea for medicines' reform 12 GWU boss insists membership figures are 'real' But numbers leaked to MaltaToday show GWU lost 24% of members and are down to just over 18,000 members JURGEN BALZAN THE General Workers Union has lost a sizeable chunk of members in a clear sign that its former secretary-general Tony Zarb has presided over a declin- ing membership. Unlike most industrialised coun- tries, union membership as a whole in Malta has steadily increased in re- cent years, although sources have also claimed that official statistics can be outdated or even inflated by individ- ual unions. But membership figures seen by MaltaToday and published today show that the General Workers' Union – Malta's biggest trade union – has lost some 6,000 members in just over eight years. An internal document leaked mem- bership to MaltaToday shows that GWU membership stood at just over 18,000 in 2014, a staggering 24% de- cline from the union's membership eight years earlier. The figures seen by MaltaToday be- lie statistics provided by the union to the Registrar of Trade Unions, which in the 2012/3 annual report put the number of GWU members at 46,831. Carol Peralta reappears on freemasons' list Former magistrate is now Grand Registrar of Grand Lodge of Malta Brother Mario Vella Gatt, the Right Worshipful grand registrar Brother Carol Peralta, Brother Frank Galea, Brother Olvin Galea, [and] Broth- MaltaToday understands that Mario Vella Gatt is the owner of the Bacchus restaurant in Mdina, while both Olvin Galea and Jonathan It is clear that if Carol Peralta held his role as a freemason during his tenure as magistrate, this would have been in breach of the ju- diciary's Code of Ethics, which expressly bans judges and magistrates from being But it also confirms that since being outed as a freemason back in 1990, the magistrate has found it to hard to deny his Carol Peralta reappears PAGE 8 Former magistrate Carol Peralta No permits found for alterations and extension of Dom Mintoff's hideout in Delimara • PG 4 PAGE 7