Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/695268
3 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2016 News Government yet to decide on monti stalls design MIRIAM DALLI THE government has yet to de- cide on the design of the new monti open air market stalls, as hawkers are set to relocate to Ordnance Street "in the coming weeks". A photo published by The Mal- ta Independent, and circulated on social media, claimed to be that of the new stalls, designed to look very similar to the now disused Maltese buses. The newspaper also said that the winning design for the new monti stalls had been scrapped and a new one was chosen. This was denied by the minister. "With the consultative and in- formation sessions between the ministry and monti hawkers still ongoing, including discussions on the management and upkeep of stalls, content and wares, the design for the stalls has also been considered, as representatives and monti sellers have found the winning design aesthetically pleasing but have on multiple oc- casions voiced their concerns on the functionality of the design," the ministry said in a statement. According to the ministry, the picture circulated was "an ex- ample of many" shown during a closed consultative session of possible moveable stalls, also known as trailers. The trailers do not require the necessary daily assembly and dismantling, as well as reduce the noise pollution generated during assembly, as do the cur- rent stalls used by the monti hawkers. Some monti hawkers have also expressed preference for a fixed stall which, however, would complicate the process as it would require a Planning Authority permit, consultations with Transport Malta, as well as the closing of the street even when the market is not operat- ing. "The ministry would like to as- sure the public that the chosen plan and design will be consist- ent and compatible with the sur- rounding area, and no such de- cision on the design of the stall has been taken to date. The final decision on the chosen stall will take into consideration the sug- gestions of all stakeholders and the architectural significance of the surrounding area," the min- istry said. Police arrest teenager over Villa Chelsea 'aggression' Police's assistance was required after a person was reported to have acted aggressively MIRIAM DALLI A 17-year-old man has been arrested after the Police were called in to provide assistance at a community home for mental health sufferers. The teenager was reported to have acted aggressively towards other residents. Villa Chelsea, in Birkirkara, is run by the Richmond Founda- tion and provides a therapeu- tic environment to help mental health sufferers, through the provision of a residential and day community-based pro- gramme. The police's communication office, CMRU, confirmed with MaltaToday that a call came in reporting a possible "hostage situation" at Villa Chelsea. The CMRU added that, upon arriv- ing on site, no such situation was in existence. It is understood that the 17-year-old had a peeler in hand and threatened other people in- side the residence. A spokesperson for the Rich- mond Foundation confirmed that both clients and members of the staff were safe. Passport buyers: 2015 citizens' list not yet published MATTHEW VELLA JUSTICE minister Owen Bon- nici said he would be publish- ing the list of naturalised citi- zens, even though the 2015 list has not yet been published six months since the end of the year. The list of new registered and naturalised citizens has acquired renewed importance since the Labour government introduced the Individual In- vestor Programme, which sells Maltese citizenship to the glob- al rich for €650,000. "We have no particular inter- est in not publishing the list," Bonnici said. "We're ready to fulfil out constitutional obliga- tions. It is the IIP regulator's job to monitor the IIP and ta- ble his report in parliament. If there was a problem I'm sure it would be something the regula- tor would f lag." Bonnici has not commit- ted himself to a timeframe for publication or to provide the list according to beneficiaries' surnames, listed in alphabetical order. In 2014, the first list was published with the first names, not surnames, in alphabetical order, making it harder to scru- tinise which families could have purchased Maltese citizenship. Bonnici also said that Identity Malta had aligned itself with the requirements of the law to furnish the Electoral Commis- sion with the latest list of regis- tered and naturalised citizens, after a complaint from chair- man Joe Church in which he said that IDM was not forward- ing the list in a timely manner. Church said in a letter to Iden- tity Malta's executive chairman Joe Vella Bonnici that Identity Malta, which is also responsi- ble for the Individual Investor Programme that sells Maltese citizenship for €650,000, was not providing his office with monthly lists of registered citi- zens and naturalised citizens. "It is of utmost importance that such lists are submitted on a regular basis in conform- ity with provisions of the law," Church wrote earlier this week. "The last monthly lists supplied to this office were for August 2014 (registration) and for De- cember 2014 (naturalisation)." Identity Malta is responsi- ble to forward to the Electoral Commission within the first five days of each month a list containing the name, surname and ID number of any person granted citizenship. The PN has filed 91 cases against the Electoral Commis- sion, in order to delete new citizens who acquired their citizenship under the IIP from the electoral register, without having spent a minimum of six months in Malta over the past 18 months before the publica- tion of the register. It appears that representatives for the IIP citizens have ticked 'yes' when asked whether they are 'aged over 16 and always have been a resident of Malta'. The Electoral Commission has failed to verif y whether they even satisf y residence require- ments to be able to vote. The Maltese Citizenship Act, amended since the introduc- tion of the IIP, no longer binds the government to publish the names of all naturalised citi- zens every three months in the Government Gazette. That important clause, which guaranteed some form of trans- parency on citizenship, was ex- punged and a new legal notice says the minister has to pub- lish an annual list of all those granted Maltese citizenship by registration or naturalization, including those persons who were granted Maltese citizen- ship under the programme. Justice Minister Owen Bonnici was shown a new €3 million passport printing machine supplied by security paper specialists De La Rue, at the Identity Malta offices yesterday. Bonnici said the machinery would ensure the highest biometric printing standards to ensure the best quality of passport for travellers.