Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/734922
8 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 5 OCTOBER 2016 News IN ALL LEADING BOOK SHOPS HISTORY OF ORNITHOLOGY IN MALTA Accused had previous charges of domestic abuse CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 Magri's daughter was heard screaming, "my mother has been killed", wit- nesses said. Proceedings were translated from Maltese into French for the benefit of the accused. Ganiou's lawyer is Giannella De Marco. The victim was known to the police and had a history of prosti- tution- and drug-related offences. Just over a month ago, Ma- gri was arraigned in court after a fight broke out in a Floriana apartment. She had been arraigned along with Ganiou who was described as her partner. The two were ac- cused of grievous bodily harm and assault on two men who lived in a Floriana apartment. Magri had also been accused of breaching several court sen- tences. Court reports dating back to 2015 show that Ganiou had been investigated by the police over domestic violence, with the man then being accused of resisting police arrest by running away and spitting at the police. In September 2015, the Togolese national was initially arrested af- ter his Maltese partner, Grima, sought police help because she was being threatened. Media re- ports of the court sitting recount how the woman appeared in court with a black eye. The charges of domestic vio- lence were dropped after Magri told the court that she had for- given the accused and was drop- ping the changes against him – reforms to the domestic violence legislation will now ensure that, even if a victim 'forgives' the per- petrator, the police cannot drop their case in court. Five-year-old girl critically injured in traffic accident A five-year-old girl is in criti- cal condition when the car she was travelling in was involved in a traffic accident at around 3.15pm yesterday afternoon in Madliena Road, Madliena. Police called on site concluded that there had been an impact between a Citroen Berlingo, driven by a 40-year-old man from Sannat, Gozo, and a Toyota Starlet, driven by a 36-year-old woman from Msida. The girl was travelling in the car driven by the woman, to- gether with a 65-year-old wom- an. The two women and the girl were taken to Mater Dei Hospi- tal where the girl was certified as being in critical condition. The condition of the two women re- mains unknown, while the driv- er of the Citroen was unharmed. Duty Magistrate Gabriella Vel- la appointed a number of experts to help her in the inquiry. Police investigations continue. Fuel supplier guilty of having fixed diesel price Rabat petrol station was forced by Falzon Group to raise diesel price, competition watchdog says MAT THEW VELLA THE Director General of the Malta Competition and Con- sumer Affairs Authority has concluded that the San Lucian Oil Company – a member of the Falzon Group –infringed competition laws when it pres- sured a Rabat fuel service sta- tion not to cut its diesel price by 2c. The Falzon Group is one of Malta's petroleum importers. The investigation stemmed from a Times of Malta report which said that the Rabat pet- rol station had scrapped plans to cut its diesel price by 2c af- ter complaining that he was pressured by the fuel supplier. Mario Camilleri had said the Falzon Group had received complaints from other fuel sta- tions about the price, and that he was warned by Joe Falzon, owner of the Falzon Group, that the increased profit mar- gin given by the supplier in January would be withdrawn, forcing him to put the price back at €1.35. Specifically, MCCAA direc- tor Godwin Mangion said his office had gathered evidence which proves that San Lu- cian Oil Company and M&N Camilleri Petrol Station were party to a retail price mainte- nance agreement to indirectly fix the selling price of diesel. The Falzon Group protested the MCCAA's claim that it had evidence – an email dated 17 November 2015 in which M&N states the facts of the case as it understood it – that Falzon Group had pressured it in raising the price of diesel. "Falzon Group refutes hav- ing pressured or obtained a fixed resale price applicable by M&N. Falzon Group de- nies having any conversation centred on the retail price of Eur 1.35 at which M&N must sell diesel… On the contrary, the evidence adduced by Fal- zon Group will show normal discussions between a sup- plier and distributor within the context of what was, at the time, a newly established ver- tical relationship between Fal- zon Group and M&N." On its part, the M&N Camill- eri fuel station told the MC- CAA said that after the Times of Malta article showing that it was selling diesel at a cheaper price, it received a phone call "that I did wrong and to re- move the [Falzon] stickers [from the pump] which had his brand on and that what we have talked about was over. I went to the petrol station, covered his brand from [the] notice board and put back the price back as it was like the En- emed price." But the MCCAA said that it considered Camilleri 's version of events to be credible, sound and reliable. In his 74-page decision, MCCAA director Godwin Mangion said that the Falzon Group put pressure on the Ra- bat fuel service station M&N Camilleri by warning the lat- ter that the increased profit margin promised in January 2015 would be withdrawn. Subsequently M&N Camill- eri Petrol Station responded to this pressure, by reverting to the maximum retail price of €1.35 per litre of diesel, as charged by other fuel stations. Although the office of com- petition said it intended fining the Falzon Group, it was tak- ing into consideration various court decisions reached by the Constitutional Court and the Competition and Consumer Appeals Tribunal not to fine the petroleum company. Caroline Magri with one of her eight children