Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/878567
PHOTO JAMES BIANCHI 4 5 Newspaper post SUNDAY • 24 SEPTEMBER 2017 • ISSUE 933 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY SUNDAY • 24 SEPTEMBER 2017 • ISSUE 933 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY maltatoday YOUR FIRST READ AND CLICK OF THE DAY WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT €1.75 SUNDAY • 24 SEPTEMBER 2017 • ISSUE 933 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY today today • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY today • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY It's the people who own the market that dictate the price: we spoke to two industry leaders Saviour Balzan PAGE 17 WAR ON TRAFFICKING COMMENT RENTAL NIGHTMARE Eyewitness: Debono had 100 voter proxies on one day alone MATTHEW VELLA ONE of the activists assisting the Nationalist Party during the organisation of its lead- ership elections has come forward with an eyewitness account of the PN's assistant secretary-general's handling of voter proxies. Delia considers taking wage as PN debts balloon to €25 million SAVIOUR BALZAN THE Nationalist Party remains in dire fi- nancial straits, as its new leader Adrian De- lia takes up a poisoned chalice to return its debts to sustainability. Only days since Delia said he would not rule out taking a wage from the party – a comment that struck a different tone from predecessor Simon Busutti, who relied on his parliamentary honorarium – MaltaTo- day has learnt that both the PN and its sub- sidiary Media.Link are heaving under a total debt of €25 million. The details of the debts put paid to claims that the party had returned to financial sta- bility under Busuttil, for the party and its media arm have to raise thousands every day to finance their debts. The repayment programme in fact has to cover several outstanding debts with vari- ous banks: €3 million payable to Bank of Valletta, €7 million to HSBC, €1 million to APS Bank, the €4 million that was collected through the PN's 'cedoli' loans scheme – which capital was used to repay other loans and reduce interest rates on outstanding loans; but also another €6.5 million in out- standing national insurance contributions, €2 million in pending utility bills to ARMS, and other creditors. Most of the debt is hived off under Me- dia.Link, which has allowed the party to camouf lage the extent of its debt. camouf lage the extent of its PAGE 2 of voter proxies. PAGE 2 7 COMMENT COMMENT Jean Pierre Debono (white shirt) with PN leader Adrian Delia. His handling of proxy votes has raised questions as to how many of those voting documents were eventually cast in the leadership election A controversial reform on prostitution laws starts by seeking to give sex workers an exit route