Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/809226
4 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 9 APRIL 2017 News 1 0 - 1 1 - 1 2 A P R I L FREE ENTRANCE FREE ENTRANCE M C A S T M A I N CAMPUS,PAOLA M C A S T M A I N CAMPUS,PAOLA M C A S T M A I N CAMPUS,PAOLA FROM 9:00AM to 4:30PM FROM 9:00AM to 4:30PM An opportunity for the public to see MCAST students at work carrying out various tasks in di‡erent areas of study o‡ered by MCAST. Think Green. Live Green. Be Green. Warning! Elections increase heart failure risk, GPs say PN dubs Gozo drugs inquiry a whitewash JAMES DEBONO FOR many, elections in Malta are a life-or-death matter. And a re- cent study published in the Malta Medical Journal shows that elec- tions can really kill. According to the study, the chances of dying from heart failure are higher dur- ing election years. "The results show that in Malta the chances of dying from heart failure during election years com- pared to non-election years in- creased substantially." This is one of the findings of a study, which seeks to explore the relationship between specific mor- tality rates and elections. The study includes a recommen- dation to the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directo- rate to come up with an awareness campaign advising the public how they can recognise cardiac symp- toms in a timely manner, before the start of the electoral campaign. "There should be an education campaign in place advising the public on how to keep generally healthy, and how to avoid unnec- essary stress especially during the election period," the study recom- mends. Yet, the study - authored by Elaine Claire Lautier, Kathleen England, Natasha Azzopardi Mus- cat, Neville Calleja and Dorothy Gauci - comes with a silver lining because during election years, the risk of death due to suicides was found to be approximately 40% lower when compared to non- election years. "Since Malta is such a small country, during election time peo- ple might feel more involved and have something additional to look forward to in life". The study also found an in- creased likelihood of dying from circulatory and cerebrovascular diseases during election years. But the highest likelihood of death was from heart failure dur- ing the election year itself with death being 1.36 times more likely during election years compared to non-election years. The latest study confirms the results of a study carried out by cardiologist Mark Sammut, which already showed that the incidence of both non-fatal and fatal acute cardiac coronary events increased during the election period. The study had found that 25 people died of cardiac attacks in the week after the 2013 election. This was almost double the 13 who died just after the Euro 2008 tournament. A study by paediatrician Victor Grech concluded that the stress leading up to the elections in Malta causes the proportion of male ba- bies born to decline. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 After re- ceiving the inquiry report, Muscat asked Vassallo whether the board had summoned the two ministers for their version of events. In his reply, Vassallo – a former Labour candidate – confirmed that both Refalo and Mallia had appeared before the board but that their testimony "doesn't af- fect the conclusions of the re- port". The Nationalist Party dubbed the conclusions "whitewash" and "a cover-up", arguing that the board even failed to call in the ministers' drivers, the security de- tail, all police officers involved in the investigation and Gozo shad- ow minister Chris Said to testify. "The conclusions are a cover- up, from beginning to end," the PN said, accusing Prime Minister Joseph Muscat of choosing his po- litical interest over the interest of victims of drugs. Said, who was the first to speak in parliament before MaltaToday started following the case, was not asked to appear before the board of inquiry. "I have no doubt that this in- quiry is a farce, appointed by the Prime Minister intended to hide everything. The inquiry has failed to send for a number of persons who have been identified by Mal- taToday to give their version of events, under oath," Said told MaltaToday. "I believe that justice will be made one day with those who cannot talk because they are fear- ful of saying what they have to say, freely." Responding to the PN's press statement, the Labour Party said that the PN had resorted to at- tacking the inquiry because it dis- agreed with the conclusions. "In- vestigations are launched when an allegation is made; conclusions must be respected irrespective of whether it's to the government's and opposition's liking or not." The inquiry, led by lawyer John Vassallo, interviewed MaltaTo- day's managing editor Saviour Balzan, inspector Bernard Charles Spiteri and Inspector Frank An- thony Tabone. It also spoke to Police Commis- sioner Lawrence Cutajar. The report makes no reference to numerous individuals identi- fied by Saviour Balzan, including a very well-known Gozitan, whose details were passed on to the in- quiry on Monday 3 April. The 12-page report was pre- sented to the Prime Minister the following day. "I spoke to Dr John Vassallo on 14 March, in which I reiter- ated the facts surrounding the story published by MaltaToday. I didn't divulge the name of my source, but I indicated that they were first-hand sources," Saviour Balzan said in comments to Mal- taToday. "I explained that the issue sur- rounded the fact that, one of the persons indicated in the state- ment of Zael Vella was pinpointed as the drug trafficker. This person was not prosecuted in June 2013." Balzan told Vassallo that later that year, Zael Vella was accom- panied by her lawyer to the police station where she asked to clarify the statement – a move that oc- curred after the meeting which al- legedly took place at the ministry. "On Monday 3 April, on the eve of the presentation of the report to the Prime Minister, I gave fur- ther specific details on the wom- an's lawyer and on the meeting that took place at the ministry." MaltaToday's sources said that Zael Vella had amended her state- ment so as to remove a reference to a young man from Munxar who would have been her source for drugs. The board said that it couldn't find "anything to satisfy" the allegation. The inquiry report states that Zael Vella, arrested for drug possession during the Caliente party in Mgarr ix-Xini, released two statements on 16 June, 2013: one at 11.50am and the other at 6.10pm. She was charged in court the following day and handed a suspended sentence. Inspector Spiteri insisted that Vella "never approached the police, directly or indirectly" to change any of her statements. According to the inquiry re- port, Zael Vella had identified her boyfriend, Kevin Vella, as having been the one to give her the drugs, free of charge. Kevin Vella released just one statement and his case is still pending. A third man, Christopher Vella of Munxar, was arrested in Sep- tember 2013 in Marsalforn for the possession of cannabis. A police citation was issued three months later and a sentence was handed on October 2014. Although Chris Vella was al- so charged with relapsing, the court rejected the accusation ar- guing that five years had elapsed and therefore it was not admis- sible according to law. The inquiry stated that the Police followed the established procedure against the three youths. The inquiry also stated that Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar denied that a police es- cort was provided to accompany a minister to go to Gozo in Oc- tober 2013. A study by paediatrician Victor Grech concluded that the stress leading up to the elections in Malta causes the proportion of male babies born to decline