Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/792945
2 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 1 MARCH 2017 News Inspector confirms former policeman MAT THEW AGIUS ONE of two persons suspected to have been with Sylvester Far- rugia at the time of his murder is a former police officer, In- spector Keith Arnaud has told the court. Farrugia, 25, was shot dead on 12 February in Marsa. De- niro Magri, 27 of Marsa, stands charged with murdering Farru- gia, whose body was later found next to a stolen Toyota Starlet. The lead homicide investiga- tor, Police Inspector Keith Ar- naud, continued his testimony before Magistrate Aaron Buge- ja yesterday, telling the court that the two male suspects seen with Farrugia had been identi- fied and questioned. The suspects were named in court, but due to the ongoing police investigation, this infor- mation cannot be published. The police recognised the former policeman from CCTV footage taken from the area at the time of the murder and are awaiting the results of fin- gerprint tests carried out on a jerry can of fuel. It has emerged in court that Farrugia and two others at- tempted to set fire to Magri 's residence. It was at that mo- ment that Magri walked out onto the balcony, armed with his gun. It also transpires that when Farrugia failed to make it home, the former policeman had accompanied Farrugia's mother and two others in look- ing for the young man. Magistrate Bugeja was told that CCTV footage did not show the actual shooting or the victim, but showed a bald person of large build walking down Simpson Street twice. On the second occasion, shortly after the shots were fired, the person was wearing a hoodie. The deceased 's Toyota Vitz had also been spotted driv- ing past, before reversing. A tall, dark haired man was seen emerging from the Vitz and approaching the scene before driving off. The bald man was identified as the former policeman and was called in for questioning. During his initial interroga- tion, the bald man had denied seeing Farrugia on the night of the murder and claimed not to know what had happened to him. He refused to answer further questions, however, after being told that CCTV footage showed him in the area on the night of the shooting. That same man had accom- panied the victim's mother and some of his friends, later that morning, as they searched for Farrugia's vehicle. He was not asked why he was It is alleged that Sylvester Farrugia, 25, may have been left to die after a botched arson attack Chef accuses ex- employee of giving recipes to competitor MATTHEW AGIUS THE owner and head chef of a shop selling gourmet fish prepara- tions have filed court proceedings against a former employee, accus- ing him of passing on proprietary recipes and other trade secrets to a competitor. Chef Adam Demanuele and busi- nessman Louis Genuis, owners of Adam's Gourmet Fish Shop, have filed a judicial protest against for- mer employee Prakash Kunju Per- ath, claiming the alleged act had caused confusion among the shop's clientele and loss of business. In the judicial protest filed at the First Hall of the Civil Court by law- yers Pawlu Lia and Veronique Dalli yesterday, the plaintiffs claim that they had created unique recipes and distinctive presentation styles that are associated with the establish- ment. Perath had been employed by the business for 19 months, they claim, and had been given training on and knowledge about the recipes they had developed. The defendant had resigned in October 2016 and now works for a supermarket, whom the plain- tiffs described as a competitor in the same sector. Demanuele and Genuis allege that Perath had passed on the information he had garnered during his stint with Ad- am's Gourmet Fish Shop to his new employer, arguing this to be a case of unfair competition. The judicial protest claims the plaintiffs are suffering damages as a result and warn that they will be holding Perath solely responsible for these losses. Perath later filed a counter protest denying the allegations, claiming they were merely intended to harm his reputation and his standing with his new employer. The coun- ter-protest calls on Demanuele and Genuis to desist from making fur- ther allegations, warning that he might resort to legal action should they persist with their claim. The owner and head chef of Adam's Gourmet Fish Shop accused a former employee of stealing recipes Reduced energy tariffs crucial in fight against poverty PAUL COCKS THE government's decision to reduce electricity and water tar- iffs was helping to further re- duce poverty in Malta and was a catalyst for economic growth, social solidarity minister Mi- chael Farrugia said yesterday. Farrugia, who was addressing a press conference at the La- bour Party headquarters with MP Charles Mangion, would not say whether cases of pover- ty were due to personal choices or living beyond one's means. "I can only speak of what the government has already done and is doing to deal with pov- erty, including policies like in- work benefits, increasing the minimum wage and reducing energy tariffs," he said. Farrugia said that the govern- ment remained committed to reducing poverty and eradicat- ing it completely, if at all pos- sible. He said the government's decisions on Enemalta were showing positive results for the company but also for families, through the reduction in house- hold tariffs. "The lower bills were a cata- lyst for further growth in the economy, with €80 million a year remaining in people's pockets," he said. Farrugia said the govern- ment's commitment to do away with the use of heav y fuel oil had also been of utmost benefit for many people, especially in the south of the country. The stronger economy made it possible for the government to enhance in-work benefits, tack- le the minimum wage and re- move nearly all the tax payable on pension income, to name but a few policies, the minister said. "Even Caritas acknowledged that a family unit with two chil- dren had paid €443 in energy tariffs in 2012, but only paid €156 in 2015," Farrugia said. "The benefits to families through the reduction in energy tariffs is obvious and can be felt by everyone." Mangion said that the latest report by credit ratings agency Standard and Poor's had identi- fied the leader of the Opposi- tion as the biggest threat to En- emalta's continued success. "When we came to govern- ment in 2013, Enemalta was €100 million in debt and an em- barrassment," he said. "Where- as the last Standard and Poor's ratings raised Enemalta's rating from CCC to BB, a significant rise which it attributed to many policies, including the decision to switch to gas." Through the reduced electric- ity tariffs introduced by the government, Maltese families and the economy had benefited from an additional €280 mil- lion, Mangion said. Seeing Simon Busuttil tear up his copy of the energy contracts with ElectroGas and Shanghai Electric in Parliament did not bode well for Enemalta or the country under future PN gov- ernments, Mangion said. "Even foreign investors might be put off by setting up shop in Malta upon seeing such behav- iour," he said. Social solidarity minister Michael Farrugia (left) and MP Charles Mangion