Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/856150
2 MATTHEW AGIUS A prison inmate yesterday filed a judicial protest, claiming that he was not being given the right medical care for kidney disease by the prison authorities, and also filed a request for bail. 36-year-old Christopher Bartolo of Fontana was jailed for five years and fined €15,000 last April after he pleaded guilty to trafficking 1.5kg of cannabis resin to avoid a trial by jury. In the court application, filed by law- yers Franco Debono, Amadeus Cachia and Yanika Vidal, Bartolo explained that he had immediately filed an ap- peal against the April judgement and had been waiting to be allocated a sit- ting date for three and a half months. As happens when appeals are filed from a decision by the Criminal Court, Bartolo is still being kept in detention. The conditions in which he is being held in jail were "not ideal for his pre- sent medical condition" his application stated, adding that his stay in prison was going to be detrimental to his health. His lawyers are asking the Court of Criminal Appeal to release Bartolo on bail in order to allow him to continue to receive dialysis treatment for his kidney condition, pointing out that Bartolo pos- es none of the risks that normally pre- clude bail and that he was still presumed innocent. maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 2 AUGUST 2017 News Inmate requests bail to receive dialysis for kidney condition Government confident of obtaining 'workable' solution on public holidays pledge The Prime Minister, together with members of his cabinet, met with the council of the Chamber of Commerce to discuss the priorities for the coming legislature YANNICK PACE PRIME Minister Joseph Muscat has said he is confident that an agreement with stakeholders could be secured that would al- low the government to imple- ment its proposal to give workers back public holidays falling on a weekend. Muscat was speaking during a meeting between himself and members of the cabinet and the council of the Chamber of Commerce, where he acknowl- edged that the pledge was con- troversial. "We will endeavour to work closely with all stakeholders in order to reach a workable solu- tion for the next legislature to implement this pledge," Muscat said, adding that when imple- mented, it would contribute to a better work-life balance for Maltese workers. Earlier in the meeting, Cham- ber president Frank Farrugia insisted that the Chamber was against the proposal. "The Chamber issued a state- ment denouncing this proposal on the day it was made during the last electoral campaign," Farrugia said. Muscat said that given that it was the start of a new legislature, it was a good time to reflect the opportunities created in the last four years, through the govern- ment's pro-business approach and to discuss how these op- portunities can be used over the course of this legislature. The government, he said, had succeeded in growing the economy and that as a result of increased investment, the government had become more "aware of skill shortages", and had started to address them through the education system. "We need to go further and we need to determine where we are going to start," Muscat said, adding that the country's work- force was a main priority. Turning to infrastructure, Muscat stressed the need to "sustain the momentum in eco- nomic growth", insisting that infrastructure would be a key priority in reaching this goal. Muscat pointed out that de- spite the government's pledge to resurface all of Malta's roads, infrastructure also meant im- provements in other areas such as waste management. He added that the government was planning further tax cuts and increases in pensions to drive economic growth further. The Prime Minister said that besides the country's physical infrastructure, its financial in- frastructure was also in need of an upgrade. For this reason, he said that the government would soon be launching a consulta- tion document to formally dis- cuss with stakeholders ways in which the country could take the financial services sector "to the next level". Muscat also spoke of the challenges facing Air Malta, the national airline. He said the government had set out an "ambitious growth strat- egy" that builds on the airline's strengths, including punctuali- ty and the quality of its service. Muscat said that the airline would be negotiating a number of collective agreements in the coming months. He said it would be introduc- ing new routes and would also be increasing the f leet, while reiterating the government's commitment to find a strategic partner for the ailing carrier. Inmate Christopher Bartolo requires medical care for his kidney disease Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Chamber of Commerce president Frank Farrugia (right) Keeping up with the Camilles! Guess who's getting his own reality show… CELEBRITY reality stars: you watch them if you love them, you watch them if you hate them. So guess which square-jawed, twinkly-eyed-good- looking, all-round-television-fodder heartthrob has volunteered to submit his private life to the well-scripted demands of reality TV? Sharp Shoot Media has announced that Stra- da Stretta's Ben Camille – real name Benjamin Camilleri – is putting his family life under the pub- lic gaze in 'Benjamin', a show centred around his "glamorous and personal daily life, featuring their successes and also daily struggle." Camille, 29, and his fitness instructor wife Kristi- na, are of course expected to be the central part of the show, together with parents and fashion power couple Carina, who runs Models M agency, and hairdresser dad Pierre. Sharp Shoot say 'Benjamin' will be "humanizing these characters" (dead giveaway there…) "who captivated media attention and escalated to fame." The producers promise "glamour", with the Camille entourage filmed at work, on set, necking the cocktails at parties, and also "family drama" – perhaps our first glimpse into how Malta's first family of fashion copes when a leaky kitchen tap intrudes upon their fabulousness. Camille, a model himself, has presented the Mal- ta Eurovision Song Contest as well as starring in TVM blockbuster series Strada Stretta and has now having branched out into daytime television. Ben Camille