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Newspaper post SUNDAY • 6 MARCH 2016 • ISSUE 852 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY €1.40 Newspaper post €1.40 SUNDAY • 6 MARCH 2016 • ISSUE 852 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY maltatoday YOUR FIRST READ AND FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT SUNDAY COMMENT MICHAEL FALZON Ministers tumble in ratings as public responds to political events Your copy of VIDA magazine FREE WITH MALTATODAY March 2016 - Issue 75 www.vida.com.mt THE ZIKA VIRUS All you need to know CARBS AT NIGHT Should you ? LIVING LIKE AN AMERICANA Fashion inspired by 1950's America ISSUE_75-V15.indd 1 01/03/2016 17:44 MATTHEW VELLA THE Jordanian construction group that has been granted land outside the de- velopment boundaries at Zonqor Point in Marsaskala for the construction of a private university campus, has been instructed by the national higher edu- cation commission (NCFHE) to desist from using 'university' in its promotion- al material until it is licensed to do so. Sadeen Education Investment Ltd, the company representing the Sadeen Group in Malta, is to be informed by a judicial letter to cease using the logo for the 'American University of Malta' until it is actually licensed as a university. The logo is still present on its website aum.edu.mt, with a logo that specifically states 'American University of Malta'. The National Commission for Further and Higher Education has only recently licensed the controversial project as a 'higher education institution', because of the lack of degree courses needed to put the 'U' in Sadeen's logo. But originally the Labour government had announced with fanfare that Sadeen would build an 'American University of Malta' over a campus stretching across 90,000 square metres of virgin land. The area was downscaled to 18,000 square metres and part of the proposed campus relocated to the Bormla docks after a national protest in which some 3,000 thronged the streets of Valletta. The original logo has persisted, not least in the political jargon of its sup- porters, who see the project as a way of attracting paying international students to the island. But the law governing educational li- censing specifically states that "higher education institution" licensees like Sadeen Education, "shall not use the word 'university' in any media, adver- tising, published material, promotional material or in any information other- wise supplied to intending students, students, parents or the public. "This article applies to all higher edu- cation institutions accredited by the NCFHE," a spokesperson for the na- tional commission said. "In the case of Sadeen Education In- vestment Ltd, the NCFHE has already brought to the entity's attention such infringement via official correspond- ence. The Commission will further in- voke Regulation 5A of the Subsidiary Legislation which states that it shall inform the entity which committed the infringement via a judicial letter before imposing an administrative penalty upon any person or provider. Action to this effect is cur- rently in hand." Watchdog tells Sadeen to drop 'university' logo The AUM logo still being used on the company website to this effect is cur- PAGE 6 After the dust settles... a new property boom Sliema get ready: MEPA is green-lighting higher buildings 21 'The faster Muscat cleans his act the better to ensure people's satisfaction' SUNDAY • 6 MARCH 2016 • ISSUE 852 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY today today • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY today • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY Ministers tumble Watchdog tells Ministers tumble Watchdog tells Ministers tumble 6 7 PAGE 3 Panamagate PN holds national protest and Labour attempts a fightback 8-9 Attack and counter-attack: the PN uses Marco Gaffarena to associate him with Joseph Muscat, while the PL uses disgraced former ministers to attack Simon Busuttil Panama database shows Fenech firm in Mossack Fonseca company creation THE Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca – notorious for doing the bid- ding of nefarious oligarchs the world over – has been employed as a choice firm for the creation of offshore com- panies by more than one Maltese legal and financial services firm. MaltaToday relied on a database con- taining over 1 million names dumped online by British coder Danniel O'Huiginn, whose project helped call attention to offshore money that uses Panama to hide ownership and money trails. The database was procured by O'Huiginn after hacking the publicly available Panama online registry of companies. One firm listed as the director of a Panama company whose agent is also listed as Mossack Fonseca, is Fenlex Corporate Services Ltd – the legal firm of whose partner is Ann Fenech, the PN's executive committee president. Fenech yesterday told this newspaper she had no knowledge of the company Timber Trading Capital Inc., which was incorporated in 2003 with Fenlex, Tonio Fenech (not the MP) and Karl Diacono as directors; the agent for the company was Mossack Fonseca. An- other company formed in Panama in 2004 with Fenlex, Karl Diacono and John Borg Olivier as directors, was Union Private Ltd Inc. Fenech expressed surprise at the ex- istence of the two companies. Although there is no smoking gun of irregularity, the interest in Panama and how Maltese firms use it to hide beneficial owners and their activities, and minimise their tax is peaking. PN president Ann Fenech: legal firm's Panama connection, no bearing on me