Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/864549
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 23 AUGUST 2017 4 News MediaToday as an independent publishing house is seeking the services of an experienced Maltese speaking videographer and editor with passion, drive and initiative to work on a full-time or part-time basis on the production of TV programs and audiovisual features. Duties will include coordinating with guests, research, scripting, editing and to ensure the smooth running of the production. Preference will be given to those applicants who have had experience working on TV productions. The applicant must be in a possession of a car licence and a car. Interested candidates are kindly requested to send their CV along with a covering letter to: The Managing Editor MediaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN9016 Or email: info@mediatoday.com.mt Closing date: 27/09/2017 ASSISTANT PRODUCER & VIDEOGRAPHER Judge's polemic raises question of ethics of 'lawyers in business' CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Hy- zler explained that currently, the only restriction on lawyers engaging in business activities, is "based on the principle of avoidance of conflict of inter- est and other rules of ethics, such as not bringing the pro- fession into disrepute", adding that once the chamber reached a common position on the matter it would be making it public. The chamber's current code of ethics requires advocates to safeguard the good repute of the profession, to be in a posi- tion to give objective and frank advice to clients "free from any external or adverse pressures or interests which would weak- en" the lawyer's independence, and not to act where there is a conflict of interest between the lawyer and the prospective cli- ent, amongst other provisions. Lawyers who spoke with Mal- taToday agreed with the gist of Bonello's piece, however many stressed that the issue was a lot more nuanced than simply introducing a ban. Moreover, it was pointed out that the in- troduction of financial servic- es, igaming, trusts, and other corporate services blurred the lines between what constitut- ed business involvement. One lawyer said it was im- portant to draw a distinction between shareholding, and be- ing involved in the running of a company. "As long as you are a share- holder and you are not re- sponsible for the running of a company, I find nothing wrong with that." The lawyer added that he did not agree with Bonello's asser- tion that the taint of money laundering was associated with business, and stressed that lawyers who find them- selves facing a conflict of inter- est should declare it and refuse to take the case in question. "Though, when you see cer- tain cases, you can't really say Bonello is not right. If, unfor- tunately, as a profession we are in a situation where these things have to be put in writ- ing then, we should do it," they concluded. Lawyer Anna Mallia on the other hand said she was in complete agreement with Bonello. She said that it made perfect sense for advocacy and business to be segregated, add- ing that this should also be extended to other professions such as the notarial profession. "I have seen cases where someone sells a property, and the notary sneaks behind the client's back and snatches the same property at a bargain price," she said. Speaking to MaltaToday, Law Commissioner and criminal lawyer Franco Debono in- sisted he did not think lawyers should be banned from having business interests, adding that it would be excessive to out- right ban lawyers from doing business. "While I do think there should be the necessary safe- guards to avoid conflicts of interest, I don't think banning lawyers from doing business is the way to do things," he said. Debono emphasised his belief that the problem Malta faces concerns business in politics, and not the legal profession. The outspoken lawyer in- sisted that the only reason the country was debating the issue, was because of recent revela- tions about Nationalist Party leadership contender Adrian Delia's business interests. He said that it wasn't the fact that Delia was both a lawyer and a businessman that was the problem, but rather that he was a businessman with a his- tory in the construction indus- try who could find himself in a position where he must face "huge conflicts of interest", es- pecially when it comes to envi- ronmental issues. See also EDITORIAL PG 10 Chamber of Advocates president George Hyzler 73.6% of Maltese have not been to a cultural site in 12 months, survey finds Eurostat survey of participation in cultural or sport activities finds Maltese with one of the lowest rates of attendance at cultural and historical sites A recent Eurostat study has found that 73.6% of Maltese citizens did not visit one cul- tural site in the year 2015. The report outlines cultur- al sites as historical monu- ments, museums, art galleries or archaeological temples. Malta placed 22nd out of 28 European countries in the 'Frequency of participation in cultural activities' study, which looked into the in- come quintile and degree of urbanisation in each country between 2006-2015. Malta is one of the least like- ly countries to attend sports events, as the study found that 78.2% of Maltese citi- zens have not been to a sports event in 2015, making Malta the third country least likely to attend the events after Bul- garia and Italy. The country also has one of the lowest rates of attendance at live performances, as the study went on to report that 70.5% of Maltese have not been to theatres or concerts in over a year. Iceland, Switzerland and Finland were the three coun- tries that most frequently attended live performances between 2006-2015, whereas Bulgaria was least likely to have an audience, with 80.6% of its residents reporting that they have not gone to a live performance in over 12 months. Cinemagoers also decreased in the last few years, as Euro- stat reports that only 14.1% visited cinemas in 2015. An NSO study found that the number of active muse- ums in Malta and Gozo stood at 72 in 2015, eight more than the previous year. In 2014, 2.3 million admissions were reported, of which 60% were adults and senior citizens, the NSO survey reported.